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THE 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF ENGLAND. 



HAMPSHIRE; 



INCLUDING THE ISLE OF WIGHT./ 







THIRTY -TWO ENGRAVINGS ON WOOD, AND AN ILLUMINATED 
MAP OF THE COUNTY. 




LONDON: 
CHARLES KNIGHT & CO., LUDGATE STREET. 



MDCCCXLI. 



LONDON : 

Printed by William Clowes and Sons, 
Stamford Street. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I.— General Description. 

Page 
Situation, Boundaries, and Extent . . . . • . 1 

Physical Topography . . „ ...... 2 

Coast-line ............ 2 

Surface ............ 2 

Drainage — Rivers .......... 3 

Geological Features .......... 4 

Means of Communication and Traffic ...... 5 

Canals ............ 5 

Railway ............ 6 

Roads . . • . . . . . . . .6 

Fairs ......... ... .6 

Agriculture and Rural Economy ...... 7 

Soils 7 

Improvements ........... 9 

Cattle 9 

Hampshire Bacon ........... 10 

History and Antiquities . . . . • . . • .11 

Political Topography . . . . . . . ► .14 

Population and Occupations ......... 14 

Legal and Ecclesiastical Divisions . . . • . . • .15 

Civic Economy .......... 17 

Local Taxation and Expenditure . . . . . . • .17 

Crime . * . . .18 

Savings' Banks ........... 18 

Education .18 



CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER II. — Means of Communication between London 
and Hampshire. 

Page 

South-western Railway 20 

Turnpike Roads 22 

CHAPTER III.— The Farnborough Station. 

To Portsmouth by Farnham and Petersfield 24 

To Gosport by Alton 28 

To Southampton by Bishop's Waltham . . . . . .31 

To Winchester by Alresford 32 

CHAPTER IV.— Portsmouth, Gosport, and Portsea. 

Portsmouth ........... 35 

Portsea ............ 38 

Gosport . . . . . . . . . . . .45 

CHAPTER V.— The Winchfield Station. 

Odiham to Alton 49 

Odiham to Farnham .......... 50 

Odiham to Reading .......... 50 

CHAPTER VL— The Basingstoke Station. 

Basingstoke ........... 55 

Basingstoke into Berkshire ......... 62 

Kingsclere ...♦•••••••• 62 

To Winchester 64 

Andover Road Railway Station . . • . . • • .64 

To Whitchurch and Andover ........ 66 

Whitchurch 66 

Whitchurch to Newbury, Berks. ........ 67 

Burghclere ............ 67 



CONTENTS. V 

Page 
Andover ............ 68 

Andover to Newbury, Berks. . . . . . . . .70 

Andover to Winchester ......... 70 

Andover to Amesbury, Wilts. . . . . . . . .71 

Andover to Salisbury . . . . . . . . . .71 



CHAPTER VII.— The Winchester Station. 

Winchester 73 

The Cathedral • 77 

The College 82 

The Market Cross 86 

Hospital of St. Cross 88 

Winchester to Gosport and Portsmouth ....... 94 

To Havant, Kmsworth, and Chichester ....... 95 

To Southampton ........... 97 

To Poole, Dorset, through Romsey ........ 98 

To Salisbury, through Stockbridge ....... 103 

To Petersfield . . . . . 104 



CHAPTER VIII.— The Southampton Station. 

Southampton ........... 105 

Southampton to Gosport . . • . . . . . .112 

To Chichester 114 

To Salisbury . . . 115 

To Lymington and Christchurch . . . • . . . .115 



CHAPTER IX.— The New Forest. 

Historical Notice , . • . . . . • . .117 

Boundaries . . . . . . ... . . 121 

Surface, Natural Appearances, Geological Features. &c. . . . . 123 

Animals, &c, of the New Forest 131 



CONTENTS. 



Forestal Regulations—Timber for the Navy 

Forest Roads 

To Lyndhurst and Lymington 

Lymington to Christchurch 

Christchurch to Ringwood 

Ringwood to Southampton 

By Fordingbridge 

Southampton to Beaulieu Abbey and Calshot Castle 



Page 

133 

135 

135 

139 

141 

141 

141 

142 



CHAPTER X.— The Isle of Wight. 

Extent 144 

Natural and Political Divisions, Population, &c. ..... 145 

Historical Notice ........... 146 

Voyage round the Island 148 

Tour in the Interior . . . • • • . . . .167 

First Excursion — From Cowes to Newport, Carisbrooke Castle, &c. . . 168 

Second Excursion — To Appuldercom.be, the Undercliffe, Ventnor Cove, &c. &c. 179 
Third Excursion — To Wootton Bridge, Quarr Abbey, Binstead, Yaverland, 

&c. &c 182 

Fourth Excursion — To Freshwater and the Needles . . . . .186 



Table of Distances 



188 



ILLU STRATI O N S. 









Page 


1 . Portsmouth Harbour .... 




. 36 


2. Portsmouth and Portsea, Gosport, and Porchester Castle in the Seven- 




teenth Century .... 




. 37 


3. House at Portsmouth in which the Duke of 


Buckingham was assassi- 




nated ...... 




. 38 


4. Lion Gate, Portsea .... 




. 40 


5. Strathfieldsay, the Seat of the Duke of Wellington 


. 52 


6. Basing House after the Siege 


. 


. 61 


7. View of Winchester .... 




75 


8. Winchester Cathedral .... 




. 79 


9. Nave of Winchester Cathedral 


. 


. 80 


10. Interior of Winchester Cathedral 


. 


. 81 






12. Winchester College with the Cloisters, Entrance to the Library, and the 




Church ...... 




. 84 


13. Winchester Market Cross 






. 


87 


14. Hospital of St. Cross 










15. Norman Window, Hospital of St. Cross 








92 


16. Plan of Porchester Castle 








95 


17. Romsey Abbey Church . 








100 


18. Norman Doorway, Romsey Abbey Church 






. 


101 


19. Southampton. From an old Print . 






. 


108 


20. The Bar Gate, Southampton . 






. 


109 


21. Ruins of Netley Abbey . 








112 


22. Tyrrell's Oak in the New Forest . 






. 


122 


23. Boldre Church 








138 


24. Gilpin's School at Boldre 






. 


139 


25. Alum Bay, Isle of Wight 






. 


151 


26. Scratcheli's Bay and the Needles 






. 


154 


27. Black Gang Chine .... 








158 


28. Ventnor Cove .... 








135 


29. Shanklin Chine .... 








164 


30. Carisbrook Castle .... 








171 


31. Keep of Carisbrook Castle 








173 


32. Window from which Charles I. attempted to 


escape from Carisbrook 




Castle ...... 






177 



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THE 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



CHAPTER I. 
GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



SITUATION, BOUNDARIES, AND 
EXTENT. 

Hampshire is a southern maritime 
county, situated principally on the main- 
land of England, but includes the Isle 
of Wight. The portion on the main- 
land approximates in form to a paral- 
lelogram, except at the south-west cor- 
ner, where a portion juts out to the 
westward : the sides of the parallelo- 
gram face the four cardinal points. 
Hampshire is bounded on the north by 
Berkshire, on the east by Surrey and 
Sussex, on the south by the English 
Channel, and on the west by Wiltshire 
and Dorsetshire. The length of the 
county (mainland part) from north to 
south varies from thirty-seven to forty- 
six miles ; the breadth varies from 
twenty-eight to forty-one miles. The 
Isle of Wight is in the form of a lo- 
zenge, having its longer diagonal from 



east to west twenty-three miles, and its 
shorter diagonal from north to south 
fourteen miles. It is separated from 
the main part of the county by an arm 
of the sea averaging about three miles 
over; but in the narrowest part not 
more than one mile. There is a small 
detached part of the county nine miles 
long, and for the most part less than 
half a mile wide, extending from near 
Haslemere in Surrey to Midhurst in 
Sussex. The area of the county, in- 
cluding the Isle, is 1625 square miles: 
in size it is the eighth of the English 
counties, being a little smaller than 
Somerset and a little larger than Kent. 
The population in 1831 was 314,280, 
or 193 to a square mile. In absolute 
population it is the fifteenth, in rela- 
tive population the twenty-fourth of the 
English counties. 






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JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



PHYSICAL TOPOGRAPHY. 



COAST-LINE. 

The coast of Hampshire (not includ- 
ing the Isle of Wight) is low towards 
the east side of the county, where there 
is a wide but not very deep bay or inlet, 
divided by Hayling Island and Portsea 
Island into three parts; Chichester 
harbour on the east, Langston harbour 
in the middle, and Portsmouth harbour 
on the west. These harbours, when 
the tide is up, present broad sheets of 
water ; and Portsmouth harbour espe- 
cially, with its shipping, has, when 
viewed from the top of Portsdown, a 
striking appearance ; but when the tide 
is out, little is seen but an assemblage 
of sand or mud banks, with channels of 
deeper water running between them. 
Hayling Island is about four miles long 
from north to south, and nearly as much 
broad at the widest part, which is next 
the open sea. It contains the two vil- 
lages of North and South Hayling, 
with a population of 882. Portsea 
Island, four miles long from north to 
south, and about three broad, contains 
the ancient borough of Portsmouth and 
the town of Portsea .with their exten- 
sive suburbs. 

From the entrance of Portsmouth 
harbour the coast runs north-west to 
the entrance of the inlet or estuary 
called Southampton Water. In this 
part are some low cliffs. Southampton 
Water penetrates about seven miles in- 
land to the town of Southampton, at the 
junction of the Test and the Itchin : its 



breadth, when the tide is up, is from 
one-and-a-half to two miles ; at low 
water, about half a mile. From the en- 
trance of Southampton Water a low 
coast runs south-west until opposite to 
the western extremity of the Isle of 
Wight. Along this low coast are 
some salt-works, and at its extremity, 
upon the point of a long sandy neck, 
stands Hurst Castle. From Hurst 
Castle the coast runs west, forming the 
shallow bay of Christchurch, terminated 
at its western point by Hengistbury 
Head, from which the coast still runs 
west to the border of Dorsetshire. From 
the neighbourhood of Hurst Castle the 
coast is generally high and abrupt. 

SURFACE. 

The surface of this county is rather 
irregular. The South Downs enter the 
county from Sussex on the south-east- 
near Petersfield, and cross it in a north- 
west direction into Wiltshire: Butser 
hill, between Petersfield and Horndean, 
on the Portsmouth road, one of the 
highest points in this range, is 917 feet 
high. The North Downs enter the 
county from Surrey near Farnham, and 
extend across the county, by Odiham, 
Basingstoke, and Kingsclere, into Wilt- 
shire. Highclere Beacon, one of the 
points of this range, in the north-west- 
ern part of the county, near the border 
of Wilts and Berks, is 900 feet high. 
The Alton hills form a connexion on the 
east side of the county between the 






GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



South and North Downs, and run from 
Petersfield northwards past Alton. 
Portsdown is an isolated eminence ex- 
tending east and west just above Ports- 
mouth and Langston harbours ; its 
height is about 447 feet; its length 
seven miles, and its breadth one. All 
these hills are in the chalk formation. 

DRAINAGE — RIVERS. 

A large part of Hampshire is within 
the basin of the Southampton Water ; 
a small portion on the north and north- 
east sides of the county is in the basin 
of the Thames ; a small portion on the 
south-east side is in the basin of the 
Arun, and a small portion of the west 
side is in the Wiltshire and Dorsetshire 
basin. 

The principal streams which drain 
the Southampton basin are the Anton 
or Test, the Itchin, and the H amble. 
One branch of the Test rises near 
Hurstbourne Tarrant (between New- 
bury, Berks, and Andover), and another 
near Whitchurch : their united stream 
flows by Stockbridge and Romsey to 
Southampton. The Itchin rises in the 
hills around Alresford, and flows past 
Winchester to Southampton. The 
Hamble rises near Bishop's Waltham, 
and joins the Southampton river some 
miles below Southampton. A stream 
to which the maps assign no name, 
flows by the village of Titchfield into 
the sea, near the mouth of the South- 
ampton Water. The length of these 
rivers is as follows : — the Anton or Test 
to Southampton, thirty-five miles ; the 
Itchin twenty-five miles (of which thir- 



teen, viz., up to Winchester, are navi- 
gable) ; the Hamble ten, and the Titch- 
field river twenty miles ; the length of 
the Southampton Water has been al- 
ready given. The Itchin navigation 
does not coincide with the natural bed 
of the river. 

The New Forest occupies nearly all 
that part of the county which has been 
represented as projecting at the south- 
west corner. It is drained by two small 
streams, the Ex or Beaulieu river, and 
the Boldre Water, besides some smaller 
streams. The Ex and the Boldre flow 
south-east into the sea, the first at Ex- 
bury, the second at Lymington : the 
length of the Ex is about thirteen miles,, 
that of the Boldre Water about fifteen 
miles. 

The basin of the Thames is separated 
from the rest of the county by the 
North Downs, and drained by the Wey, 
the source of which is in Hampshire^ 
and by the Anborne and the Loddon r 
which have their course along the bor- 
der. 

The basin of the Arun is separated 
from the rest of the county by the Al- 
ton and Petersfield hills and the South 
Downs. It is drained by the Rother, 
which rises in this county and flows 
past Midhurst into the Arun. 

The Wiltshire and Dorsetshire basin 
comprehends a narrow strip of the coun- 
ty to the west of the New Forest. It is 
drained by the Avon, which, entering 
the county just below Downton, Wilts, 
about six miles from Salisbury, runs 
south past Fordingbridge, Ringwood, 
and Christchurch, into the sea. That 

B 2 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



part of the river which is in the county 
is about twenty to twenty-two miles 
long. A small portion of the Dorset- 
shire Stour, and of the Great Leonards 
Water, a tributary of the Stour, are in 
the county or upon its boundary ; the 
Stour joins the Avon below Christ- 
church : their estuary forms Christ- 
church haven. 

GEOLOGICAL FEATURES. 

That vast district of chalk which 
overspreads so large a portion of Wilt- 
shire, and of which Salisbury Plain 
forms a part, extends into Hampshire, 
and occupies a considerable part of it. 
It is bounded on the north by a line 
drawn from Inkpen Beacon, near Great 
Bedwin, Wiltshire (the highest point in 
all the chalk formation of England), by 
Kingsclere and Basingstoke to Odiham : 
on the east by a line drawn from Odi- 
ham by Alton, and along the Farnham 
road to the neighbourhood of Bishop's 
AValtham ; and on the south by a 
line drawn from the neighbourhood of 
Bishop's Waltham and north of Bishop- 
stoke into Wiltshire. The extent of 
this chalk district, from north to south, 
is about twenty or twenty-two miles; 
from east to west its Hampshire extent 
varies from twenty-two to thirty-two 
miles, but its whole extent through 
Hampshire and Wiltshire together is 
much greater. The breadth of the 
North Down range is about two or three 
miles, that of the South Downs about 
four miles. Portsdown hill is an out- 
lying mass of chalk. 

The country to the north of the great 



chalk district and of the North Downs 
belongs to the London basin ; the coun- 
try to the south of the great chalk dis- 
trict and of the South Downs belongs 
to the Isle of Wight basin ; and these 
are almost entirely occupied by the 
strata above the chalk. 

The country to the east of the great 
chalk district, and embraced between 
the North and South Downs, is occu- 
pied by the strata which underlie the 
chalk, and which extend into Surrey 
and Sussex, and form the district of the 
Weald of the south-east of England. In 
the London basin the Bagshot sand, 
belonging to the upper marine forma- 
tion, is found at Frimley Heath, on the 
border of Surrey, and is surrounded by 
a belt of the London clay ; but these 
two formations are found only in the 
north-east of the county, and are of 
small extent: the rest of this basin 
in Hampshire is occupied by the plastic 
clay, except near Kingsclere, where, for 
a short distance, the chalk marl, and 
greensand crop out from beneath the 
chalk. In the Isle of Wight basin that 
part of the New Forest which extends 
from the Boldre Water to the South- 
ampton Water is for the most part occu- 
pied by a sand probably agreeing in its 
principal characteristics with the Bagshot 
sand : this district is peculiarly adapted 



to the growth of oak. 



The remaining 



part of the New Forest, the country 
around the Southampton Water, and 
the whole line of the coast eastward from 
the Avon, and including Portsea and 
Hayling Islands, are occupied by the 
London clay ; the country west of the 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



Avon, and a belt varying from three to 
seven miles south of the chalk, are oc- 
cupied by the plastic clay. The Weald 
district east of the chalk is occupied 
by the chalk marl and greensand ; and 
the small detached part of the county 
included in Sussex, partly by these 



formations, and partly by the Weald 
clay. 

No minerals are procured from this 
county to any extent, except near Pe- 
te rsfield. where grey chalk is quarried 
and sent to Portsmouth dockyard to be 
burnt for lime. 



MEANS OF COMMUNICATION, &c. 



CANALS. 

The Andover Canal commences at 
Andover, and is carried along the 
valley of a small feeder of the Anton 
or Test, till the junction of this feeder 
with the main stream. The canal then 
crosses the Anton and follows the valley 
of that river on the eastern side of the 
stream to Redbridge, three or four miles 
above Southampton, where it enters the 
Anton. Its whole length is 22J miles : 
its total fall is above 176 feet. It has a 
branch to Salisbury. It is chiefly used 
for the import of coal and other fuel, 
and of general goods from the coast, 
and for the export of agricultural pro- 
duce. 

The Basingstoke Canal commences 
at Basingstoke, and is carried in a very- 
winding course twenty-two miles east 
on one level to the Loddon, which it 
crosses into the county of Surrey, its 
farther course through which to the 
navigable part of the river Wey (near 
its junction with the Thames) is fifteen 
miles, with a considerable fall. That 
part of the canal which is in Hamp- 
shire is the summit level, and is thirty- 
eight feet wide and five feet and a half 



deep. About four miles east of Basing- 
stoke the canal is carried by a tunnel 
above a mile long through a chalk hill ; 
from this chalk, which yields a great 
quantity of water, the chief supply is 
obtained for lockage at that part of the 
canal which is in Surrey. Not far from 
the border of the county this canal is 
carried by an aqueduct across a valley 
three-quarters of a mile broad. This 
canal serves for the conveyance of coal, 
deals, groceries, bale goods, &c., from 
London, and for the export of timber, 
flour, malt, bark, and earthenware. 
During a fortnight's observation upon 
the Basingstoke Canal, two or three 
years ago, there passed 371 tons of the 
lighter description of general merchan- 
dise, and 859 tons of coal, timber, grain, 
stone, gravel, &c. Part of the canal 
from Arundel by Chichester to Ports- 
mouth is in this county. 

It will be seen that there is no conti- 
nuous line of inland navigation between 
London and Southampton. The link 
which should connect the Basingstoke 
Canal with the Andover Canal, and 
with the Itchin navigation from Win- 
chester to Southampton, has not been 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



completed in consequence of the diffi- 
culties which the intervening part of the 
country presents. The South-western 
Railway has conquered these obstacles, 
but the stage -waggon would per- 
haps never have been superseded by 
the canal barge in this part of the 
country. Should the opening of the 
railway render the conveyance of goods 
less costly, the number of stage-wag- 
gons which will in course of time be 
discontinued will be much greater than 
in most other parts of the country 
where a complete line of artificial navi- 
gation is in existence. It is calculated 
that the number of stage-waggons 
which the Birmingham Railway threw 
out of employment was 54, while the 
number on the London and Southamp- 
ton line of road will be about 82. 

ROADS AND RAILWAY. 

Three principal mail-roads cross the 
•county, viz., the road from London to 
Portsmouth, that to Southampton and 
Poole, and the great western road 
through Salisbury. The South-western 
Railway from London enters Hampshire 
at Farnborongh, in the north-eastern 
corner of the county, and passes Ba- 
singstoke in a direction nearly due 
west; but from this town its direction 
is south-south-west past Winchester to 
Southampton. A more particular ac- 
count of the principal roads will be 
found in the following pages. 

The number of turnpike trusts in 



Hampshire, as ascertained in 1835, was 
36 ; the number of miles of road under 
their charge is 810 ; the annual income 
in 1835, arising from the tolls and parish 
composition, was 30,321/., and the an- 
nual expenditure, 29,894/. 

FAIRS. 

The following are the principal fairs 
in Hampshire :— Alresford, last Thurs- 
day in July, October 17 ; Alton, Satur- 
day before May 1, September 29 ; An- 
dover, May 13, November 17 and 18; 
Basingstoke, Easter Tuesday, Septem- 
ber 23, October 11; Botley, July 23, 
August 20, November 13; Christ- 
church, June 13, October 17; Hamble- 
don, February 13, October 2; Kings- 
clere, April 2, October 15; Lymington, 
May 12, October 2; Magdalen Hill, 
near Winchester, August 2 ; Newport, 
Isle of Wight, Whit Monday, Tuesday, 
and Wednesday; Overton, May 4, July 
18, October 22; Petersfield, March 5, 
July 10, December 11 ; Portsmouth, 
July 10, lasts fourteen days; Romsey, 
Easter Monday, August 26, November 
8; Southampton, February 17, May 6, 
December 1 5 ; Stockbridge, Holy Thurs- 
day, July 10, October 7 ; Weyhill, Octo- 
ber 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 (this is one of 
the greatest fairs in England for cattle, 
sheep, wool, and hops) ; Whitchurch, 
April 23, June 17, July 7, October 19 ; 
Wickham, May 20 ; Winchester, first 
Monday in Lent, October 24. 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION, 



AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ECONOMY. 



CLIMATE AND SOILS. 

The climate of Hampshire is gene- 
rally mild and favourable to vegetation. 
The southern part of the Isle of Wight 
is considered to have the mildest cli- 
mate in Great Britain, and is resorted 
to on that account by invalids during 
the winter. But a great part of Hamp- 
shire consists of poor sands and gravelly 
soils or chalky hills, having between 
them low bottoms, with no ready outlet 
for the water, which has produced 
marshes and peat- bogs. In such places 
the nature of the soil has a greater ef- 
fect on the climate than the difference 
of several degrees of latitude would 
have under other circumstances. 

The northern part of the county, 
where it borders on Berkshire and 
Surrey, consists chiefly of the poor, 
dark sand, mixed with an ochrey loam, 
which is well known as the Bagshot 
heath soil. This extends to Basing- 
stoke. The whole of this part of the 
county is naturally very unproductive, 
and till within a few years was almost 
entirely covered with a brown heath, on 
which some hardy forest sheep and a 
few miserable cattle were reared, and 
contrived to pick up a scanty living. 
There were however some spots between 
the hills which contained a few farm 
buildings and some green fields, form- 
ing a striking contrast with the sur- 
rounding waste. Within the last thirty 



years much of this heath, which lay in 
common, has been enclosed and divided. 
Some of it has been brought into culti- 
vation at a great expense, and a consi- 
derable portion has been planted with 
fir-trees, which have thriven wherever 
the proprietor was at the expense of 
trenching and draining the land before 
planting. 

The great roads which traverse this 
part of the county, and the numerous 
places in which horses have been kept 
for posting, stage-coaches, and waggons, 
have caused a supply of manure by 
which the poor soils immediately around 
them have been much improved. The 
very poverty of the soil has set inge- 
nuity to work to produce the most im- 
proved practices and implements. Most 
of the drilling-machines which are used 
within a certain distance in the counties 
of Surrey and Berks, as well as in 
Hampshire, are manufactured in the 
neighbourhood of Basingstoke. 

South of this district, as far as Win- 
chester and a few miles beyond it, the 
chalk prevails. The soil which lies over 
this chalk varies in depth, and where it 
is sufficiently deep produces good crops 
of barley, wheat, and oats. In many 
places it lies very near the chalk, and 
is intermixed with flint and pebbles. 
Although the appearance of it is not 
very promising, it is tolerably produc- 
tive in good seasons; the pebbles and 
flints reflect the sun's beams, while the 



8 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



young plant is sheltered by them from 
the cold easterly winds which in spring 
sweep over the hills, where few trees 
break their force. 

Where the soil is thin and very near 
the chalk, it is scarcely fitted for the 
plough, but remains in the state of 
down ; and the natural grasses which 
grow there, when kept closely cropped 
by sheep, are sweet, and make the best 
sheep-pastures. If these downs are not 
sufficiently stocked, or if they are re- 
served for cows, the furze and brambles 
are apt to overrun them, and the coarse 
grasses get the upper hand. 

In the valleys and along the lower 
slopes of the chalk-hills the soil is of a 
tough, tenacious nature, being a mix- 
ture of chalk washed down the hills by 
the rains and stiff clay. This is a soil 
very difficult to cultivate. In spring it 
is extremely heavy, and retains mois- 
ture a long time ; and w r hen dried it be- 
comes so hard, that unless it has been 
worked at the exact moment when it is 
dry on the surface, and the clods are 
still friable, there are no means of re- 
ducing it to a proper tilth. But when 
it is carefully managed and well ma- 
nured, it produces very good crops of 
beans, wheat, and oats. This land can 
scarcely be cultivated and kept clean 
without occasional fallows, and the most 
profitable rotation is wheat, beans, oats, 
fallow. It is much too heavy for tur- 
nips. In some spots which are not quite 
so heavy, the Suffolk rotation of barley, 
after a long fallow, clover, wheat, beans, 
and oats, might be introduced with ad- 
vantage. It is not at all adapted to the 



Scotch convertible system ; for although 
grass-seeds might grow well, the land 
could seldom be depastured with cattle, 
either in spring or autumn, and after a 
dry summer it would be almost impos- 
sible to plough it up in good time to sow 
it with wheat. On the eastern side of 
the county, bordering on Surrey and 
Sussex, is a small tract of land, which 
is provincially called malmy land, form- 
ing the vale of Petersfield. It has a 
grey, tender, sandy soil of some depth, 
lying on a soft sandstone which is al- 
most impervious to water. This cir- 
cumstance counteracts the advantages 
of a light soil, unless the water be ar- 
tificially carried off. On the higher 
grounds the poor sandy soil is only fit 
for plantations of firs. 

The land in the New Forest, and on 
the opposite side of the river or estuary 
below Southampton, is mostly of a light 
nature, intermixed here and there with 
heavier loams and clays. Where it is 
sound and free from springs it is of a 
good quality ; and that which is not so 
may be materially improved by judi- 
cious under-draining. Some spots in 
the New Forest were effectually drained 
many years ago by Mr. Elkington, and 
have amply repaid the expense incurred, 
both by the improvement of the land 
and the greater salubrity of the neigh- 
bourhood ; for where the land has not 
been drained, low bogs and marshy 
places are formed, which are the cause 
of frequent fevers and agues. 

Various kinds of marl are found in 
manv places ; some of these are very 
useful on poor gravelly soils, which 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 







they greatly improve when a sufficient j 
quantity is carried or*. The value of 
marl depends on the union of carbonate 
of lime and clay, and is readily disco- 
vered by its effervescing strongly when 
any acid is poured upon it. When the 
quantity of carbonate of lime is small, 
very good white or red bricks are made 
of it. The white colour is caused by 
the calcareous matter, the red by the 
presence of the oxide of iron. 

The Isle of Wight consists princi- 
pally of chalk, over which are found 
various soils, such as gravel, sand, and 
very stiff clay. The mildness of the 
climate is favourable to vegetation,. and 
there are some neat farms, in which the 
land is well cultivated. 

In traversing the whole country it 
will be observed that the poorer soils 
predominate. There are a few fertile 
spots, and some very valuable water- 
meadows along the principal rivers, es- 
pecially the Avon, which runs through 
the western part of the county bordering 
on Dorsetshire. Where a farm has a 
portion of water-meadow and a run for 
sheep on the downs, the occupier gene- 
rally thrives ; but the greatest agricul- 
tural skill is displayed in the cultiva- 
tion of the poorer soils, where manure 
must be made on the spot, and the 
cattle and sheep kept on the produce of 
the arable land. 

IMPROVEMENTS. 

Hampshire, although it cannot be 
compared with some eastern and north- 
ern counties for agricultural improve- 
ments, is not far behind them ; and 



there are seme farms as well managed 
as any in England. The great fault 
lies in the want of economy of labour ; 
too many horses are used ; the thresh- 
ing-machine is not sufficiently common; 
the stock is not fed so economically as 
it might be ; the manure is not so care- 
fully collected, nor so well prepared, be- 
fore it is put on the land ; and there is 
a great waste of the liquid part of it on 
the best managed farms. 

The old clumsy plough, once in gene- 
ral use, is now replaced by a lighter 
and more durable plough, of which the 
parts the most exposed to wear are made 
of cast iron. Two horses now plough land 
which formerly was thought to require 
four. The seed is put in by a drilling- 
machine instead of being scattered by 
the hand. The corn is put into neat 
stacks raised on stone pillars, and well 
thatched, instead of being exposed to 
the depreciation of rats in a huge barn. 
The farm buildings, as well as the house 
of the farmer, are more commodiously 
arranged, and there is a general spirit 
of improvement. The correction of the 
abuses of the old poor-laws, and the 
commutation of the tithes for a fixed 
annual payment, will much encourage 
the improvement of poor lands ; and in 
half a century the general face of the 
county will be very different from what 
it is at present. 

CATTLE. 

There are no breeds of cattle, horses, 
or sheep, peculiar to Hampshire, unless 
we consider the small New Forest ponies 
in that, light. The cows are of various 



10 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



breeds. The oxen are chiefly Sussex 
and Devon. The horses used in hus- 
bandry are mostly bred in other counties. 
The sheep are — the common small fo- 
rest breed, or heath-sheep, which, when 
tolerably fat, give the high flavoured 
mutton formerly known by the name 
of Bagshot mutton ; the Dorset and 
Leicester sheep, in the richer mea- 
dows ; and the South Down, on the 
chalky hills. The last are most nu- 
merous, and preferred for folding on 
the land. 

HAMPSHIRE BACON. 

Hampshire has long been famous for 
the curing of bacon ; and a Hampshire 
hog is a very common sign for a public- 
house ; yet the native breed of pigs in 
this county is by no means remarkable 
for its good qualities. The native hogs, 
which live on the acorns and beech-mast 
of the New Forest, although the flavour 
of their flesh may be good, are coarse, 
raw-boned, flat-sided animals, and are 
now seldom met with. The improved 
breeds produced by crosses of the Berk- 
shire, the Suffolk, Essex, and Chinese 
pigs, are so much better and more pro- 
fitable, that the only difference to be 
noticed in the pigs bred on different 
farms is that which arises from the pre- 
dominant character of any one of the 
above mentioned breeds. 

The reputation of the Hampshire 
bacon is owing entirely to the care with 
which it is cured. The hogs, being fatted 
on peas and barley-meal, are kept fasting 
for twenty-four hours at least before 
they are killed ; they are used as gently 



as possible in the act of killing, which 
is done by inserting a long pointed knife 
into the main artery which comes from 
the heart. The hair is burnt off with 
lighted straw, and the cuticle of the 
skin scraped off. The carcase is hung 
up after the entrails have been removed, 
and the next day, when it is quite cold, 
it is cut up into flitches. The spare- 
ribs are taken out, and the bloody veins 
carefully removed : the whole is then 
covered with salt with a small quantity 
of saltpetre mixed with it. Sometimes 
a little brown sugar is added, which 
gives a pleasant sweetness to the 
bacon. 

The flitches are laid on a low wooden 
table, which has a small raised border 
all round it. The table slants a little 
so as to let the brine run off into a vessel 
placed under it, by a small opening in 
the border at the lower end. The flitches 
are turned and re-salted every day ; 
those which were uppermost are put 
under, and in three weeks they are 
ready to be hung up to dry. Smoking 
the bacon is no longer so common as it 
used to be, as simply drying it is found 
sufficient to make it keep. Those who, 
from early association, like the flavour 
given by the smoke of wood, burn saw- 
dust and shavings in a smothered fire 
for some time under the flitches. When 
they are quite dry, they are either placed 
on a bacon-rack for the use of the family, 
or are packed with wheat -chaff into 
chests till they are sold. 

The practice of cutting the hogs into 
pieces and pickling them in a vat, being 
attended with less trouble, is very gene- 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



11 



rally preferred when there is only a suf- 
ficient number of hogs killed to serve 
the farmer's family ; but flitches of 



bacon, well cured, are more profitable 
for sale. 



HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES. 



Before the Roman invasion, this 
county was inhabited by three tribes : 
the Regni (Yvyw, Ptol.), who occupied 
the coast, as well as the counties of 
Sussex and Surrey : the Belgse (BeXyoij 
Ptol.), who inhabited the middle por- 
tion, and extended into Wiltshire ; and 
the Atrebates, or Atrebatii ('Arjj^-^;, 
Ptol.), who occupied, it is likely, the 
northern part on the confines of Berk- 
shire. Winchester appears to have 
been a British town antecedently to its 
being occupied as a Roman station, and 
Siichester also, if it may be identified 
with Calleva Atrebatum. This part of 
the island was reduced by the Romans, 
probably under Vespasian, who is dis- 
tinctly recorded by Suetonius (Vespas., 
c. iv.) as having subjugated the Isle of 
Wight, called by the Romans Vectis 
(Qlr.zri;, Ptolemy). It was compre- 
hended in Britannia Prima, and was 
crossed by several Roman roads, and 
contained several Roman stations. It 
was Camden's opinion that the Trisan- 
ton river, mentioned by Ptolemy (T>;- 

ffavruvo; vroTUfjiov \k$oXx)) w T aS the Anton 

or Test : perhaps it was the South- 
ampton Water, with all the streams 
that flow into it. Others, however, 
identify the Trisanton with the Arun 
of Sussex. If Trisanton be a represen- 



tation of the British Traeth Anton, ■ the 
estuary or frith of Anton,' it is a desig- 
nation peculiarly suitable to Southamp- 
ton Water. The Roman station Clau- 
sentum, mentioned in the Iter vn. of 
Antoninus, is generally admitted to 
have been near Southampton. At Bit- 
tern farm abundance of Roman remains 
are found, and modern antiquaries seem 
to agree in fixing the station at this 
spot, which is on the east side of the 
Itch in, by a bend in which it is nearly 
surrounded. There are remains of the 
Roman works, a ditch, and part of a 
rampart on the land side, composed of 
earth, flints, and large flat bricks, and 
faced roughly with small square stones. 
A quantity of Roman coins and of fine 
red pottery, a glass urn, and sculptured 
and other stones have been dug up. 
The area of the station is about half a 
mile in circumference : Southampton 
probably arose from its ruins. In the 
latter part of the name Claus-entum 
we probably discern the same root which 
may be traced in Tris-anton, South- 
hampton, and Hampton- (now short- 
ened into Hamp-) shire. Another sta- 
tion mentioned by Antoninus is Venta 
(a Roman modification of the more an- 
cient British name Caer Gwent, ■ the 
white city,'), distinguished from some 



12 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



other places of the same name, as ■ Venta 
Belgarum.' Ptolemy mentions Venta, 
or as he writes it Ovivrcc, as one of the 
towns of the Belgoe. It is the modern 
Winchester, the first part of which 
name is a corruption of the British 
Gwent, or the Roman Venta. This 
was an important station : the walls 
with which the Romans enclosed it yet 
form the chief part, though frequently 
repaired and much altered, of the town 
walls. Roman tomhs containing hu- 
man bones, sepulchral urns, and some 
other antiquities, have been discovered 
just outside the town walls. An en- 
trenchment on St. Catherine's Hill, 
south of the city, is perhaps the Roman 
castra rostiva, or summer camp. 

The county appears to have been the 
scene of contest in the Saxon invasion. 
Cerdic, who founded the kingdom of 
Wessex, is said to have defeated and 
slain in the New Forest a British chief- 
tain who bore the name of Natanleod. 
Hampshire was included in the king- 
dom of Wessex, and Venta, called by 
the Saxons Wintanceaster, became the 
seat of Government. Here Cerdic was 
buried, and here, on the conversion of 
the West Saxons to Christianity, a 
bishop's see was established. In the 
contests of the Saxon princes the Isle 
of Wight was taken by Wulfherc, king 
of Mercia, and annexed by him to the 
kingdom of Sussex : it was, however, 
soon after reconquered by Ceadwalla, 
king of Wessex. Upon the predomi- 
nance of the West Saxon kings over 
the other Saxon potentates being per- 
manently established by Egbert, Win- 



chester became the metropolis of Eng- 
land. 

When the Northmen attacked the 
island, Hampshire was exposed to their 
ravages. In the reign of Ethelbert, 
grandson of Egbert, (id. &G0— 866), a 
body of them landed at Southampton, 
and advanced to Winchester, which 
they partially laid waste : they were 
routed, however, as they returned to 
their ships, and much of the booty re- 
covered. At Basing, near Basingstoke, 
Ethelred I., king of Wessex, and his bro- 
ther Alfred, were defeated by the Danes, 
a.d. 870. A year or two after, viz., 
in 871 or 873, in the reign of Alfred, 
the invaders made another attack on 
Winchester, damaged the cathedral and 
murdered the ecclesiastics belonging to 
it. From the time of Alfred's restora- 
tion the county experienced scarcely 
any hostility till the time of Ethelred II., 
in whose reign, about the close of the 
tenth century, the Danes ravaged the 
Isle of Wight. In the civil dissensions 
of the reign of Edward the Confessor, 
the same island was infested by God- 
win, earl of Kent, and his son Harold, 
then in rebellion : and in the subse- 
quent reign of Harold II. it was laid 
under contribution by Tostig, the king's 
rebellious brother. Winchester con- 
tinued to be the principal seat of roy- 
alty in the reign of William the Con- 
queror. 

The New Forest became the scene 
of several disasters which befel the fa- 
mily of William the Conqueror, and 
which were regarded as judgments 
on him for the arbitrary and cruel 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



13 



manner in which he had afforested 
this district : his conduct, however, 
has been much exaggerated. His son 
Richard lost his life here by what 
Camden describes as a " pestilential 
blast ;" his grandson Henry, son of 
Robert, was entangled among the 
branches, and killed while hunting; 
and his successor, William Rufus, was 
shot by a random arrow by Walter Tyr- 
rel, a.d. 1100. (See chap, ix.) Upon 
Rufus's death, Henry, his brother, 
hastened to Winchester, where he pos- 
sessed himself of the royal treasure, and 
afterwards succeeded to the crown. 
Robert, his elder bother, to whom the 
succession rightfully belonged, landed 
at Portsmouth with an army the next 
year (a.d. 1101) to enforce his claim; 
but finding his rival too strong, came 
to an accommodation with him and 
retired. 

In the civil war between the sup- 
porters of King Stephen (then a pri- 
soner) and the Empress Maud, Win- 
chester was the scene of contlict. The 
cathedral and Wolvesey Castle, the 
residence of Henry of Blois, bishop of 
Winchester and brother of Stephen, 
were in the hands of the king's party, 
and Winchester Castle and other parts 
of the city in the hands of the empress. 
The empress's friends were gradually 
dispossessed of all they held, except the 
castle ; and, when this was hard press- 
ed, it is said that the empress escaped 
by being carried through the opposing 
army, wrapped in a sheet of lead, like 
a corpse for interment. Her natural 
brother and chief supporter, the earl of 



Gloucester, was taken soon after at 
Stockbridge, and exchanged for the 
captive king. In the civil war which 
marked the close of the reign of John, 
Odiham Castle was gallantly but vainly 
defended for that prince against the 
revolted barons and the Dauphin, Louis 
of France. 

At the commencement of the French 
war of Edward III., a.d. 1338, the town 
of Southampton was attacked by the 
French with their allies the Genoese 
and Spaniards. Their fleet was of fifty 
galleys. They took the town, burned 
the greater part of it, and slaughtered 
many of the inhabitants. About the 
close of the reign of Edward III., or the 
commencement of that of Richard II., 
another attack was made on this town, 
but failed. About the same period the 
Isle of Wight was attacked by the 
French, and Newtown and Yarmouth 
burned, and Carisbrook Castle vainly 
besieged. In a.d. 1415, when Henry V. 
was about to embark at Southampton 
for France, a conspiracy against his life 
was detected ; for which the Earl of 
Cambridge and others were executed in 
that town. In the reign of the same 
monarch the Isle of Wight was once 
attacked and a second time threatened 
by the French. About the close of the 
reign of Henry VIII. another attack 
was made by the same people, but re- 
pulsed. It was at Winchester that 
Mary I. was married to Philip of Spain, 
a.d. 1554. 

In the beginning of the reign of 
Charles I. the duke of Buckingham 
was stabbed at Portsmouth, and in the 



14 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



civil war of that reign this county was 
the scene of partial hostilities. The 
strong posts of the Isle of Wight were 
early in the contest secured for the 
parliament, and the island was thus 
preserved from subsequent disturbance. 
In December, 1643, the Royalists were 
defeated at Alton by Sir William Wal- 
ler. But the most remarkable event in 
the contest that occurred in this county 
was the defence of Basing House, near 
Basingstoke, by its possessor, John Pau- 
let, marquis of Winchester, the chief 
incidents of which are related in a sub- 



sequent page. In a.d. 1647, Charles I., 
after his escape from Hampton Court, 
remained concealed at Titchfield House 
till he gave himself up to Colonel Ham- 
mond, governor of the Isle of Wight. 
He was imprisoned for some time at 
Carisbrook, and afterwards at Hurst 
Castle. 

The country contains several relics of 
the ancient state of the county: these 
are noticed elsewhere. The chief mo- 
nastic remains are at Netley, Beaulieu, 
Winchester, and Romsey. 



POLITICAL TOPOGRAPHY. 



POPULATION AND OCCUPATIONS. 

Hampshire is an agricultural county, 
few of its inhabitants being engaged in 
manufactures : it ranks the 22nd in the 
list of agricultural counties. Of 74,71 1 
males twenty years of age and upwards 
living in the county in 1831 there were 
28,683 employed in agricultural pur- 
suits, and only 292 in manufactures or 
in manufacturing machinery ; 1 0,348 
were employed as labourers not agri- 
cultural. 

The population of the county at each 
of the four enumerations made in the 
present century was — 



Years. 


Males. 


Females. 


Total. Inc. per ct. 


1801 


105,667 


113,989 


219,656 


1811 


118,855 


126,225 


245,080 11-57 


1821 


188,373 


144,925 


283,298 15-59 


1831 


152,082 


162,198 


314,280 10-94 



showing an increase between the first 
and last periods of 94,624, or rather 
more than 43 per cent., which is 14 per 
cent, below the whole rate of increase 
throughout England. The population 
is 193 per square mile, while the aver- 
age for the whole of England is 259. 
The density of the population in the 
counties of Berks, Bucks, Norfolk and 
Suffolk is nearly the same as in Hamp- 
shire, these counties varying only from 
193 to 198 per square mile. 

The following table contains a sum- 
mary of the occupations and population 
on the mainland separately, and also 
in the Isle of Wight and the mainland 
together : — 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



15 



Houses. 
Inhabited . 

Families ..... 

Building . • • . . 

Uninhabited .... 

Occupations. 

Families chiefly employed in agriculture 

„ „ trade, manufactures, 

and handicraft • 

All other families not comprised in the 

two preceding classes • • * 

Persons. 
Males ...... 

Females • 

Total of Persons .... 

Males twenty years of age 

Agriculture. 
Occupiers employing labourers • 

„ not employing labourers • 
Labourers employed in Agriculture • 

Other Occupations. 

Employed in manufacture, or in making 
manufacturing machinery 

Employed in retail trade, or in handicraft 
as masters or workmen 

Capitalists, bankers, professional and 
other educated men 

Labourers employed in labour, not agri- 
cultural ..... 

Other males twenty years of age (except 
servants) ..... 

Male servants, twenty years of age 

„ under twenty years of age 

Female servants .... 

The number of persons qualified to 
vote for the county members of Hamp- 
shire in 1838 was 8983, being about 1 
in 35 of the whole population, and above 
1 in 8 of the male population twenty 
years and upwards, as taken in 1831. 

LEGAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL DIVISIONS. 

The most ancient division of the 



Mainland. 

50,715 

57,968 

478 

1,763 



20,532 
18,763 
18,673 



134,877 

143,972 

278,849 

66,652 



2,490 

1,049 

22,305 



233 

20,614 

3,415 

8,925 

5,526 

2,095 

876 

11,170 



county is into hundreds, of which there 
were fifty at the time of the Domesday 
survey. There are now thirty-nine 
hundreds, besides the city of Winches- 
ter with the liberty of Soke, the borough 
of Portsmouth with the district of Port- 
sea and Portsea Guildable, the town 
and county of Southampton, and eleven 
liberties, including the liberties of East 



r e of Wight. 
5,811 
6,684 
44 

254 


Whole County 

56.526 

64,652 

522 

2,017 


2,229 


22,761 


2,220 


20,983 


2,235 


20,908 


17,205 

18,226 

35,431 

8,059 


152,082 

162,198 

314.280 

74,711 


284 

185 

2,370 


2,774 

1,234 

24,675 


59 


292 


2,550 


23,164 


369 


3,784 


1,423 


10,348 


591 

228 

96 

1,544 


6,117 

2,323 

972 

12,724 



16 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



and West Medina in the Isle of Wight. 
From the great number of the hundreds 
and liberties they have been arranged 
in 'divisions' for administrative pur- 
poses. At the time of the census in 
1831 there were ten of these divisions 
including the Isle of Wight ; but by a 
subsequent arrangement made under 
the direction of the magistrates of the 
county, the divisions of the county have 
been increased to thirteen, not including 
the Isle of Wight. They are as follow : 
— Alton, Andover, Basingstoke, Drox- 
ford, Fareham, Kingsclere, Lymington, 
Odiham, Petersfield, Ringv/ood, Rom- 
sey, Southampton, and Winchester. — 
There are two liberties or divisions in 
the Isle of Wight, East and West Me- 
dina. 

Hampshire, not including the Isle of 
Wight, contains one city, Winchester ; 
six ]urliamentry boroughs, Andover, 
Christchurch, Lymington, Petersfield, 
Portsmouth, and Southampton ; and 
thirteen other market-towns, Alresford, 
Alton, Basingstoke, Bishop's Waltham, 
Fareham, Fordingbridge, Gosport, Ha- 
vant, Kingsclere, Odiham, Romsey, 
Stoclvbridge, and Whitchurch. The 
principal towns in the Isle of Wight are 
Newport and Ryde. 

The county is in the Western circuit: 
the assizes and quarter-sessions are held 
at Winchester. For the election of 
members of parliament, the county was 
by the Reform Act divided into two 
parts. The Northern division compre- 
hends Alton, Andover, Basingstoke, 
Droxford, Kingsclere, Odiham, Peters- 
field, and Winchester divisions ; the 



chief place of election is Winchester, 
and the polling stations are Winchester, 
Alton, Andover, Basingstoke, Kings- 
clere, Odiham, Petersfield, and Bishop's 
Waltham. The Southern division com- 
prehends Fareham, Lymington, Ring- 
wood, Romsey, and Southampton divi- 
sions; the chief place of election is 
Southampton, and the polling stations 
are Southampton, Fareham, Lyming- 
ton, Portsmouth, Ringwood, and Rom- 
sey. The Isle of Wight was by the 
same act severed from the county for 
parliamentary purposes, and allowed 
to return one member : the chief place 
of election is Newport, and the polling 
stations are Newport and West Cowes. 
Formerly, two members each were re- 
turned from the city of Winchester, the 
boroughs of Christchurch, Lymington, 
Portsmouth, Southampton, Andover, 
Petersfield, Stockbridge, and Whit- • 
church, and for the boroughs of New- 
port, Newtown, and Yarmouth, in the 
Isle of Wight. By the Reform Act, 
Stockbridge, Whitchurch, Newtown, 
and Yarmouth were disfranchised, and 
Christchurch and Petersfield reduced 
to one member each. The act, by regu- 
lating the franchise, opened the city of 
Winchester, and the boroughs of Ports- 
mouth, Christchurch, Lymington, Pe- 
tersfield, Andover, and Newport, which 
were all previously close. 

Hampshire is included in the diocese 
of Winchester and the ecclesiastical 
province of Canterbury, and constitutes 
(inclusive of the Isle of Wight) the 
archdeaconry of Winchester. This 
archdeaconry is subdivided into ten 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



17 



deaneries, viz., Alresford, Alton, An- 
dover, Basingstoke, Dorkinsford, or 
Droxford, Fordingbridge, Somhourn, 
Southampton, Winchester, and the Isle 
of Wight. The number of churches 
and chapels is given in Warner's * Col- 
lections' at 277. In Lewis's * Topo- 
graphical Dictionary ' the number of 
benefices is given at 305, xlz -> 154 



rectories, 72 vicarages, and the rest 
perpetual curacies. From the Report 
of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners it 
appears that the number of rectories is 
144, vicarages 75, perpetual curacies 
33, curacies 62; besides 12 sinecure 
rectories and donative curacies. 

For the administration of relief to the 
poor the county is divided into 23 unions. 



CIVIC E 

LOCAL TAXATION AND EXPENDITURE. 

The amount of property estimated 
and assessed in Hampshire under the 
different schedules of the property-tax 
in 1814-15 was as follows: — Assessed 
to the owner, 1,236,563/., namely, pro- 
perty from lands, 707,127/.; houses, 
367,596/.; tithes, 139,873/.; manors, 
1221/.; fines, 9692/.; mines, 169/.; 
iron works, &c, 9715/. Assessed to 
the occupier, 706,550/.; profits of trade, 
&c, 918,872/.; public offices and em- 
ployments, 10,716/. 

The sums expended for the relief of 
the poor at the four dates of — 

For each 
inhabitant. 
£ .v. d. 

1801 were 124,019, being 11 3 
1811 „ 225,601 „ 18 4 
1821 „ 193,294 „ 13 7 
1831 ., 215.229 „ 13 8 
1837 '„ 123,840 „ 7 11 

Assuming that the population had 
increased at the same rate of progres- 
sion as in the ten preceding years, the 
above sum of 123,840/. gives an average 
of 7s. 6d. for each inhabitant. These 
averages are ail above those for the 
whole of England and Wales. 



CONOMY. 

The sum raised in Hampshire for 
poor-rate, county-rate, and other local 
purposes, in the year ending the 25th 
of March, 1833, was 248,176/., and was 
levied upon the various descriptions of 
property as follows : — On land, 1 8 0,534/. ; 
dwelling-houses, 58,680/. ; mill, fac- 
tories, &c, 4112/.; manorial profits, 
navigation, &c, 4849/. The amount 
expended was — For the relief of the 
poor, 211,075/. ; in suits of law, removal 
of paupers, &c, 5467/.; for other pur- 
poses, 35,980/.; total, 252,523/. 

In the returns made up for subse- 
quent years, the descriptions of pro- 
perty assessed are not specified. In 
the years 1834, 1835, 1836, and 1837, 
there were raised 243,525/., 211,826/., 
177,547/., and 151,240/. respectively; 
and the expenditure of two of these 
years was as follows : — 

1834. 1837. 

£. S. £. 

For the relief of the poor . . 203,466 4 123,840 

la suits of law, removals, &c. 6,545 11 2,105 

Payment towards the countv- ) M 

" rate . . . * \ 33,934 1? J lo ' oJ7 

For all other purposes' . j \ 13,297 

Total money expended . £243,946 12 154,839 

The saving effected on the whole sum 
c 



18 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



expended in 1837, as compared with 
that expended in 1834, was therefore 
about 36 i per cent. ; and the saving 
effected on the sum expended for the 
relief of the poor was rather more than 
39 per cent, in 1837, as compared with 
the expenditure in 1834. 

The county expenditure in 1834, ex- 
clusive of that for the relief of the poor, 
was 19,618/., disbursed as follows: — 
Bridges, building, and repairs, &c, 
1247/.; gaols, houses of correction, &c, 
and maintaining prisoners, &c, 3909/.; 
shire-halls and courts of justice, build- 
ing, repairing, &c, 898/. ; prosecutions, 
2999/.; clerk of the peace, 732/.; con- 
veyance of prisoners before trial, 791/. ; 
conveyance of transports, 91/. ; con- 
stables, high and special, 71/.; coroner, 
298/. ; debt, payment of, principal and 
interest, 6165/.; miscellaneous, 2412/. 

CRIME. 

The number of persons charged with 
criminal offences in the three septen- 
nial periods ending with 1820, 1827, 
and 1834, were 2085, 2190, and 3187 
respectively; making an average of 
298 annually in the first period, of 
313 in the second period, and of 455 
in the third period. In the five years 
ending with 1839 the annual aver- 
age had increased to 576. The class 
of crimes most prevalent are offences 
against property committed without 
violence. Out of twenty-two agricul- 
tural counties, only two are exceeded by 
Hampshire in the average proportion of 
criminals to the population ; and one of 
these counties adjoins the metropolitan 



county. In 1839, at the assizes and 
sessions, 642 persons were charged with 
crime in Hampshire. Of the whole 
number of offenders, 517 were males, 
and 125 were females; 214 could nei- 
ther read nor write ; 364 could read 
and write imperfectly ; 56 could read 
and write well ; 1 had superior instruc- 
tion, and the degree of instruction of 6 
could not be ascertained. 

savings' banks. 

There are eleven savings' banks in 
this county. The number of depositors 
and amount of deposits on the 20th of 
November in each of the following years 
were — 

1832. 1834. 1836. 1838. 

Number of de- 
positors . . 7,700 9,237 10,408 13,516 

Amount of de- £ £ £ £ 

posits . . 279,299 322,493 356,456 415,883 

In 1835, the number of depositors of 
sums under 20/. in each 1000 of the 
population of the county was 15, and of 
depositors of the several classes, 35 in 
1000 ; the proportion for England being 
respectively 18 and 35 to each 1000 of 
the population. 

EDUCATION. 

From the Parliamentary Returns on 
Education, made in the session of 1835 
(which however are not always to be 
depended upon), it appears that the 
number of daily schools in the county- 
was 1197, and of Sunday schools 440, 
and that 38,733 children were attend- 
ing the former, and 32,412 the latter. 
We find by approximation that there 
were 108,217 children between the ages 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



19 



of two and fifteen in the county of 
Hampshire in 1834, the time the edu- 
cational inquiry was made ; and allow- 
ing for a number of children having 
been entered twice as under instruction 
in Sunday and day-schools, we may per- 
haps fairly conclude that not two-thirds 



of the children between the ages of two 
and fifteen were receiving instruction in 
the county. One hundred boarding 
schools are included in the number of 
daily schools : lending libraries are at- 
tached to ninety-two daily and Sunday 
schools. 



c 2 



20 



CHAPTER II. 



MEANS OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN LONDON 
AND HAMPSHIRE. 



SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY. 

The railway communication between 
London and the county of Hants is by 
the London and South-western Rail- 
way, formerly called the London and 
Southampton Railway. This railway 
begins on the right bank of the Thames, 
at a place called Nine Elms, in the pa- 
rish of Battersea, a short distance above 
Vauxhall-bridge, and terminates at the 
beach of the Southampton Water. It 
passes through or near to Wandsworth, 
Wimbledon, Morton, Kingston, Thames 
Ditton, Esher, Walton-upon-Thames, 
Wey bridge, Chertsey, and Woking, all 
in the county of Surrey. At Farn- 
borough, 31^ miles from the London 
terminus, the railway enters Hamp- 
shire, and passes through or near the 
following places : Odiham, Basing, Ba- 
singstoke, Worting, Popham, Mitchel- 
dever, Winchester, Twyford, and 
Bishop's Stoke to Southampton. The 
course of the line from London to Ba- 
singstoke is west-south-west, and for the 
remaining distance south-south-west: 
the entire length of the line is 76|, of 
which 4S| miles are in Hampshire. 

The following are the stations for 
taking up and depositing passengers, 



and the distance of each from London 
and from each other : — 



Surrey. 



Dist. from Dist. from 
London, each Station. 



ineElms to Wandsworth 


3 


3 


jj 


Wimbledon . 


6 


3 


jj 


Kingston . . 


10 


4 


yy 


Esher & Ham [ 
ton Court 


13 


3 


V 


Walton . 


151 


91 

"7. 


yy 
it 


Weybridge . 
Woking . • 

Hampshire. 


17* 
23 


2 
*4 


yy 


Farnborough 
Wiiichfield . 


31* 

38 


61 




Basingstoke 
Andover-road 


46* 
56 


8 
10 


i) 


Winchester . 


64 


8 


yy 


Southampton 


76| 


12 : 



Having one of its termini at the 
water's edge in Southampton Harbour, 
and the other on the hanks of the 
Thames, the South-western Railway 
affords every facility for traffic which 
nature and art combined can give. An 
idea, however, generally prevails that 
the London terminus is situated at an 
inconvenient distance from the popu- 
lous parts of the metropolis ; but it is 
actually nearer the two great central 
points of the Royal Exchange and 
Charing Cross than either of the other 
two great lines of railway, which termi- 



MEANS OF COMMUNICATION. 



21 



Distance from each 
Railway Terminus. 



nate at Paddington and at Euston- 
square, as the following table will 
show : — 

To To the 
Charing Royal Ex- 
Cross change. 
Miles. Cbaitis. Miles. Chains. 

London and Birming- 
ham. Euston-square 1 65 3 18 

Great Western, at 

Paddington . . 2 60 4 26 

South-western, at 

Vauxhall . . . 1 77 3 9 

Omnibuses start before the departure 
of each train from the Spread Eagle in 
Gracechurch-street ; Swan with Two 
Necks, Lad-lane ; Cross Keys, Wood- 
street, Cheapside; White Horse, Fetter- 
lane ; George and Blue Boar, Holborn ; 
Golden Cross, Charing Cross ; and the 
Universal Office, in Regent-street. The 
traveller availing himself of these con- 
veyances, the fare by which is 8d. 9 will 
be certain of arriving in time for the 
trains. The steam- boats plying above 
London Bridge, and which start every 
quarter of an hour, also convey passen- 
gers to and from the Railroad Station, 
for the charge of 4c?., calling at the 
Southwark, Blackfriars, Waterloo, and 
Westminster Bridges ; and some of them 
call at intermediate places, but occa- 
sionally, when the tide is unfavourable, 
these boats do not arrive in time for the 
trains, unless passengers embark a 
quarter of an hour earlier than may 
be necessary when the tide is favour- 
able. 

The number of trains starting from 
each end of the line on week-days is 
thirteen, and on Sundays seven. The 
time occupied by the fast trains in the 



journey from the Vauxhall Station to 
Southampton, including stoppages, is 
three hours. By the goods' train, which 
is six hours, the fare to Southampton 
is only 7s. ; and by other classes of 
carriages 12s., 18s., and 20s. By the 
trains which stop at every station on the 
line the fare to Southampton is 12s. in 
the second class of carriages, and the 
journey is performed in three hours 
and forty-eight minutes. 

The line has been completed at a cost 
of about 2,000,000/. It was opened to 
Woking Common, twenty-three miles 
from London, May 21st, 1838; on the 
24th of September, in the same year, a 
further opening was made to Shapley 
Heath, thirty-eight miles from the Lon- 
don terminus; on the 10th of June, 

1839, the line was made available as 
far as Basingstoke, forty-six miles from 
London ; and at the same time an open- 
ing was effected between Southampton 
and Winchester, leaving only eighteen 
miles uncompleted. On May 11th, 

1840, the railway was opened through- 
out its whole extent. 

The following is a statement of the 
monthly traffic on the railway from the 
1st of January, 1840, to the 30th of 
June following : — 

Passengers. Amount. 
£ 

Jan. . . 33,707 8,275 

Feb. . . 32*405} 7,870 

March . 40,392 9,189 

April . . 51,344 11,224 

May . . 58,701 17,981 

June . . 84,256} 25,915 

Total . 300,806 80,457 

The passenger traffic for the first 



22 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



three months after the entire opening 
of the railway, namely, from the 11th 
of May to the 10th of August, produced 
75,141/.; and during the months of 
July and August the receipts amounted 
to upwards of 1000/. per day, Sundays 
included. The traffic in goods has 
been comparatively inconsiderable, and 
it is found by experience that goods 
are conveyed by the previously existing 
modes of transport long after a more 
eligib^medium has been in existence. 
Proposals have been made for con- 
structing branch railways from Guild- 
ford to the South-western line at Wok- 
ing; and from Salisbury to Hook Pit, 
near Winchester. A branch from Gos- 
port will join the South-western Rail- 
way at Bishop's Stoke, near Southamp- 
ton ; and the contractor is under en- 
gagements to complete the works from 
Bishop's Stoke to Fareham by the 1st 
of May, 1841: from Fareham to Gos- 
port the works are very light. In ad- 
dition to these feeders of the main line 
we may reckon that the railway from 
Rouen to Paris will induce many per- 
sons who visit Paris to prefer the voy- 
age from Southampton to Havre, owing 
to the railway facilities which this route 
affords in each country. 

We shall now accompany the reader 
to each of the stations on the line within 
the county of Hants, commencing at 
the Farnborough station, which the tra- 
veller starting from London may reach 
in less than one hour and a quarter by 
one of the fast trains. Before leaving 
each station the principal market-towns 
and places of interest nearest to it will 



be described and its situation pointed 
out, so that this little work may form a 
Railway-Excursion Guide for the Coun- 
ty. At the same time, while making 
the railway the chief basis of a tour in 
Hampshire, the great lines of road will 
be fully noticed, still keeping in view 
their bearing in reference to the Rail- 
way. 

TURNPIKE ROADS. 

There are four great thoroughfares 
from London through Hampshire ; the 
principal one is — 1. The great western 
road to Exeter, Falmouth and Penzance. 
This road enters the county three miles 
north-west of the Farnborough station, 
between Bagshot (just beyond which it 
branches off from the Southampton- 
road) and Basingstoke ; it passes through 
Basingstoke, Whitchurch, and Andover 
to Salisbury, in Wiltshire. Two miles 
west of Basingstoke this road forms an 
angle with the railway, the former bear- 
ing west by south, and the latter leaving 
the road in a direction south-south-west. 
The Farnborough, Winchfield, and Ba- 
singstoke stations are none of them situ- 
ated far from this road ; and even west 
of Basingstoke, the Andover-road sta- 
tion is not much more than six miles 
from Whitchurch, and eleven from 
Andover. 

2. The high road from London to 
Southampton enters Hampshire near 
the Farnborough station ; and, after 
leaving the county to pass through 
Farnham, situated in a projecting corner 
of Sussex, it re-enters Hampshire and 
passes through Alton, Alresford, and 



MEANS OF COMMUNICATION. 



23 



Winchester. Farnham is about six 
miles south of the Farnborough station ; 
Alton about seven miles south of the 
station at Winchfield ; and south-west 
of Alton, the station nearest this road, 
is the one at Winchester. 

3. The London and Portsmouth road 
passes along the eastern side of the coun- 
ty through Petersfield and the villages 
of Horndean and Cosham, and is, for 
the whole of its course, at a considerable 
distance from any railway station; Pe- 
tersfield is nearly twenty miles from the 
Winchester station. When the con- 
templated railway from Gosport to the 
South-western railway is formed, some 
part of the traffic on the roads on the 
eastern side of Hampshire will be at- 
tracted to the railway. 



4. The London and Gosport road 
branches off from the London and Ports- 
mouth road about a mile and a half 
south-west of Farnham, and passing 
through Alton, inclines a little to the 
west, through Fareham. This road 
approaches .much nearer the railroad 
than the London and Portsmouth road, 
and a line carried from the road to the 
Winchester station, in a direction due 
east, would be about thirteen miles. At 
Alton, and north-east of that town, the 
road is identical with the London and 
Southampton road ; and its bearings in 
reference to the railway are the same as 
are described above in the notice of that 
road. (2.) 



24 



CHAPTER III. 



THE FARNBOROUGH STATION. 



The Farnborough Station, 31 h miles 
from London, is situated just within 
the north-eastern corner of Hampshire, 
about 210 feet above the level of the 
Vauxhall terminus. It is the key to 
four important roads, leading to the fol- 
lowing places: — 1. To Portsmouth, by 
Farnham and Petersfield. — 2. To Gos- 
port, by Alton. — 3. To Southampton, by 
Bishop's Waltham. — 4. To Winchester, 
by Alresford. — Few persons, on an ex- 
cursion of pleasure, would think of 
proceeding either to Winchester or 
Southampton by any other mode than 
the railway ; but for many other pur- 
poses the high road may be preferred, 
and we therefore give a brief notice 
of each of the above routes, indicating 
at the same time the distance of the 
most important places from the nearest 
railway station. 

1. To Portsmouth. 

Most of the Portsmouth coaches which 
are put upon the railway at the London 
terminus leave the line at the Woking 
Station, in Surrey, 8^ miles before 
reaching the station at Farnborough : 
they proceed through Guildford and 
enter the present road at Farnham. 
Some of them pass through God ai- 
ming; and the only part of the road 



under notice which they travel is that 
lying south of Petersfield. Before the 
opening of the railway the number of 
coaches travelling between London and 
Portsmouth (including two mails) was 
nineteen, conveying on an average about 
1300 passengers weekly; and until the 
branch railway from Gosport to Bishop's 
Stoke be opened a large portion of this 
traffic will be confined to the turnpike- 
road. 

About ten miles from Farnham, three 
miles west of the present road, and mid- 
way between it and the London and Gos- 
port road, is the village of Selborxe, 
the birth-place of the Rev. Gilbert 
White. Here he spent a long and serene 
life, affording a most pleasing example 
of the pleasures and advantages arising 
from the observation of nature in any 
spot, however limited. The enthusiasm 
with which he carried on his investiga- 
tions had an ample field for its exercise 
in this district, and within its limits 
he gathered facts and information which 
escaped the attention of naturalists em- 
ployed in a more extensive sphere, and 
thus rendered himself a welcome corre- 
spondent of eminent scientific men. The 
pedestrian at least will be tempted to 
pay a visit to Selborne ; and a pleasanter 
excursion from London can scarcely be 



FARNBOROUGH STATION TO PORTSMOUTH. 



25 



made than to this place, proceeding by 
the railway to the Farnborough Station, 
thence to Farnham and Alton, and from 
the latter place across the country by 
the parish roads. The district of which 
Selborne is the centre is thus described 
by White : — " The soils of this district 
are almost as various and diversified as 
the views and aspects. The high part 
to the south-west consists of a vast hill 
of chalk rising three hundred feet above 
the village, and is divided into a sheep- 
down, the high wood, and a long hang- 
ing wood called the Hanger. The covert 
of this eminence is principally beech, 
the most lovely of all forest trees, whe- 
ther we consider its smooth rind or bark, 
its glossy foliage, or graceful pendulous 
boughs. The down, or sheep-walk, is a 
pleasing park -like spot, of about one 
mile by half that space, jutting out on 
the verge of the hill country, where it 
begins to break down into the plains, 
and commanding a very engaging view, 
being an assemblage of hill, dale, wood- 
lands, heath and water. The prospect 
is bounded to the south-east and east by 
the vast range of mountains called the 
Sussex Downs, by Guild-down, near 
Guildford, and by the downs round 
Dorking and Reigate, in Surrey, to the 
south-east ; which altogether, with the 
country beyond Alton and Farnham, 
form a noble and extensive outline." 
The " hangers" are almost peculiar to 
Hampshire ; they are woods growing 
down the sides of very steep hills. 
There are roads down some of the 
"hangers'* which are so steep that it is 
not possible to proceed down them on 



horseback. Hawkley " hanger " is 
equally famous with the one at Sel- 
borne, from which it is about 5 miles 
distant in a direction south by east, 
and it is a little nearer the London 
and Portsmouth road than Selborne. 
From the summit of Hawkley " hanger " 
the spectator looks down upon the vil- 
lages of Hawkley, Greatham, Selborne, 
and some others. The scene which 
meets his eyes may be thus described : 
— " From the south-east, round, south- 
ward, to the north-w r est, the main valley 
has cross valleys running out of it, the 
hills on the sides of which are very steep, 
and, in many parts, covered with wood. 
The hills that form these cross valleys 
run out into the main valley like piers 
into the sea. Two of these promonto- 
ries, of great height, are on the west 
side of the main valley. The ends of 
these promontories are nearly perpen- 
dicular, and the tops so high in the air 
that you cannot look at the village below 
without something like a feeling of 
apprehension. From the south-west, 
round, eastward, to the north, lie the 
heaths of which Wolmer Forest makes 
a part, and these go gradually rising up 
to Hindhead, the crown of which is to 
the north-west, leaving the rest of the 
circle (the part from north to north- 
west) to be occupied by a continuation 
of the valley towards Headley, Binstead, 
Frensham, and the Holt Forest." Some 
of the roads in the vicinity of Selborne 
are very bad in wet weather, the mud 
being " the colour of rye-meal mixed up 
with water, and just about as clammy.*' 
Gilbert White has given an account of 



2G 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



two of these roads, the one leading to 
Alton and the other to Wolmer Forest : 
— "These roads, running through the 
malm lands, are, by the traffic of ages and 
the fretting of water, worn down through 
the first stratum of oar freestone, and 
partly through the second ; so that they 
look more like watercourses than roads, 
and are bedded with naked rags for 
furlongs together. In many places they 
are reduced sixteen or eighteen feet 
beneath the level of the fields." 

Alice Holt and Wolmer Forest, 
between the London and Portsmouth 
and London and Southampton roads, 
are divided into two parts by inter- 
vening private property, namely, Alice 
Holt, near the Southampton road, a 
little beyond Farnham, and Wolmer, 
nearer the Portsmouth road, between 
Liphook and Petersfield. The forest 
of Wolmer is about seven miles long 
by two and a half in breadth, running 
nearly from north to south. The soil is 
sand covered with heath and fern. The 
surface is somewhat diversified with hills 
and dales, and comparatively recent 
plantations of fir. In the beginning of 
the last century a stately herd of 500 
red deer were kept in the forest, the 
whole of which were made to pass before 
Queen Anne as she was journeying to 
Portsmouth. Some time before the 
middle of the century, not more than 
fifty head remained, which were taken 
alive to Windsor Park. The poachers 
called the Waltham Blacks had caused 
this reduction in their numbers. There 
are three considerable lakes in the forest, 
Hogmer, Cranmer, and Wolmer, but 



fish do not thrive very well in them. 
An extraordinary number of coins was 
found in Wolmer Pond in 1741, when 
its bed had become dry in consequence 
of two summers in succession with 
scarcely any rain. They consisted of 
many hundreds of Roman copper coins, 
all of the Lower Empire. The Forest 
contains altogether nearly 15,500 acres, 
more than half of which belongs to the 
Crown. The growing timber in Alice 
Holt is of considerable value : the soil 
is a strong loam. There were fallow 
deer in the Holt in the year 1767, but 
the poachers were constantly harassing 
them and thinning their numbers, and 
now none remain. Like the other forests 
of the county it had during the last 
century been much neglected. In the 
marshy bottoms of Wolmer Forest many 
trees have been found and dug up with 
the peat. 

Petersfield is a small, neat country 
town, having but little trade, any con- 
sequence which it possesses arising from 
its lying on the high road from London 
to Portsmouth. It is 52 miles south- 
west from London; 18 miles east by 
south by the road from Winchester; 
and 18J from Portsmouth. There are 
roads to Haslemere and Midhurst in 
Sussex, the former being 12 miles from 
Petersfield and the latter 9 miles. The 
town is partly lighted with gas, tolerably 
paved, and amply supplied with water. 
Fairs for sheep and horses are held 
March 5, July 10, and December 11. 
The market-day is Saturday. The 
assessed taxes levied in 1830 amounted 
to 54 0/. The population of the town 



PORTSMOUTH TO PETERSFIELD. 



27 



and parish in 1831 was 1803. The 
living, attached to the chapelry of 
Petersfield, is a curacy, which, with the 
rectory of Buriton, are in the diocese 
of Winchester and patronage of the 
bishop of that see, and yield an average 
net income of 1194/. Near the chapel 
is an equestrian statue of William III. 
There is a school called Churcher's 
College, from the name of the founder, 
who, in 1722, bequeathed the sum of 
3000/. Bank stock and 500/. in cash for 
its establishment and support. Several 
acts of parliament have been obtained 
for regulating the expenditure of the 
funds of the charity, which have in- 
creased considerably. 

According to the Corporation Reports, 
no royal charter of incorporation is 
known to have been conferred upon the 
town ; but in Warner's * History of 
Hampshire,' and in other works, it is 
stated to have been incorporated by a 
charter of Queen Elizabeth, which is 
also confirmed by the Report of the 
Commissioners on the boundary of the 
borough. The town is governed by a 
mayor, chosen annually at the court- 
leet of the lord of the manor, but the 
functions of the mayor are merely 
nominal. The borough of Petersfield 
returned members to parliament as 
early as Edward I., and two members 
continuously from the reign of Edward 
VI. till the passing of the Reform Act, 
since which it has been represented by 
one member. The present parliamen- 
tary boundary includes the old borough 
of Petersfield and a considerable portion 
of the adjacent neighbourhood. 



About 10 miles from Petersfield the 
road passes through the Forest of 
Bere. This forest extends southward to 
Portsdown-hill, and its bounds, according 
to a perambulation made in 1688, and 
still observed, comprehend about 16,000 
acres, of which one-third is enclosed. 
It is divided into two larger divisions, 
the East and West Walks, with some 
smaller portions dependent on these, 
and is under the control of a warden 
and other officers. The quantity of 
timber grown in this forest is trifling 
compared with what it once yielded. 
Some deer are kept. 

Southwick Park is on the right, 
midway between this and the London 
and Gosport road. The mansion is 
erected upon the site of an old manor- 
house built here in the time of James I., 
and in which two monarchs were en- 
tertained, Charles I. and George I. 
The former was here at the time of 
Buckingham's assassination ; the king 
having accompanied his favourite thus 
far from London on the road to Ports- 
mouth, from whence the latter was to 
lead an expedition against the French. 
Charles was at prayers in the chapel 
when Sir John Hippesley came in, 
and whispered the melancholy tidings 
he had brought into his ear ; and Lord 
Clarendon states that the king re- 
mained in the discharge of his duties 
till the service was over, when he retired 
and burst into the bitterest lamentations. 
Sir Daniel Norton was then the pos- 
sessor of Southwick ; his family had 
been settled here for a very remote 
period. His successor, Col. Norton, dis- 



28 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



tinguished himself in behalf of the Par- 
liament during the civil war. The 
grandson of this gentleman, who was a 
highly accomplished person, an excel- 
lent actor (he had a theatre fitted up 
here) and the writer, it was supposed, of 
a tragedy which Sir Samuel Garth 
praised, was the last heir male of the 
family. By his will he bequeathed the 
whole of his property, amounting to 
6000/. a year and 60,000/. in personals, 
to the Parliament, in trust for the use of 
" the poor, hungry, thirsty, naked stran- 
gers, sick, wounded and prisoners, to the 
end of the world." The will was, how- 
ever, set aside on the ground of insanity, 
and the estates passed to his relatives. 
The mansion is a truly elegant one : 
its principal front, which faces the south, 
is built of stone, and has a colonnade 
extending the whole length, and reach- 
ing to about half the height of the 
house. The central portion projects 
with a circular sweep. A finer situa- 
tion than Southwick enjoys it would be 
difficult to find. The park is well 
stocked with game. Through the 
grounds, which are beautifully laid out, 
flows a clear stream cf water. Within 
the boundaries of the park stood the 
ancient priory of Black Canons, where 
Henry VI. and Margaret of Anjou were 
married. 

On the west of the road, at a distance of 
lj mile is Butser Hill, 917 feet above 
the level of the sea. It is the highest 
eminence in the county, and terminates 
the chain of the South Down Hills to 
the westward. From the top of this hill, 
the ridge of which is not above 130 or 



150 yards wide in one part, the spec- 
tator looks down into a deep valley on 
each side ; and the prospect in every 
part of the horizon is also very extensive ; 
including the hills of North Hampshire, 
and great part of Surrey and Sussex, 
with the South Downs to the eastward ; 
and southward, looking over Portsdown- 
hill, there are views of Portsmouth, 
Spithead, and the Isle of Wight. Five 
miles before reaching Portsmouth the 
road passes the eastern end of Ports- 
down-hill, the shape of which has been 
described as resembling, " an oblong tin 
cover to a dish." Its extent is about 7 
miles from east to west, Bedhampton 
being at the foot of the eastern extremity, 
and Fareham at the western : it is 447 
feet above the level of the sea. Excel- 
lent crops of corn are grown on the hill- 
side, and the harvest is said to com- 
mence here earlier than in any part of 
the south of England. 

After skirting the eastern extremity 
of Portsdown-hillthe road passes through 
the village of Cosham, where it crosses 
the road from Southampton to Chi- 
chester. Between Cosham and Ports- 
mouth, a distance of 4J miles, there is 
no place particularly noticeable. 

2. To Gosport. 

This is a branch of the London and 
Portsmouth road, which it leaves about 
1J mile south-west of Farnham. It 
passes through Alton, West Meon, 
Warnford, Exton, Carhampton, Drox- 
ford, and through Fareham. 

Arthur Young called the vale be- 
iween Farnham and Alton the finest 



GOSPORT TO ALTON. 



29 



ten miles in England ; and its beau- 
ties have been thus described by Mr. 
Cobbett : * — " Here is a river with 
fine meadows on each side of it, and 
with rising grounds on each outside 
of the meadows, those grounds having 
some hop-gardens and some pretty 
woods." Cobbett, though he was born 
in this vale, gives the preference to the 
ten miles between Maidstone and Tun- 
bridge, called the Garden of England 
by the people of Kent : but even this 
latter beautiful district had fewer charms 
in his eyes than the north of Hamp- 
shire. 

About three miles before we reach 
Alton, and within a mile of the present 
road, is Froyle Place, the seat of the 
Rev. Sir Thomas Miller, Bart. It is situ- 
ated in a finely wooded park of consi- 
derable extent, and in the immediate 
neighbourhood of some celebrated hop 
grounds. The mansion is about three 
miles distant from Alton. The ground- 
plan of the edifice was originally that 
of a half H, but this has been subse- 
quently enlarged and changed by addi- 
tional offices. This form, which does 
not present so ready a communication 
between the various apartments as might 
be desirable, admits however a greater 
circulation of air, and makes a more 
imposing appearance : it was much 
used about the period of the reigns of 
James I. and Charles I., and to that 
date Froyle Place, with its gable roofs 
and square mullioned windows may be 
attributed. The mansion has under- 

* ' Sural Rides.' 



gone a complete repair within the pre- 
sent century. 

Alton is 16 miles from the Farn- 
borough station ; 1 8 east north-east of 
Winchester; 10 miles from Farnham, 
and 47 south-west of London. The high 
road to Winchester, as well as to Gos- 
port, passes through the town, which is 
situated near the source of the river 
Wye. 

Alton is well built, with three prin- 
cipal streets, partially paved by sub- 
scription and lighted. Some bomba- 
zeensand serges were made here, but this 
manufacture sems to have decayed, nor 
is the town at present noted for any 
particular branch of industry. There 
u,re hop plantations in the neighbour- 
hood ; and two breweries in the town. 
The living is a vicarage in the gift of 
the Bishop of Winchester. The church 
is neat, and there are two or three meet- 
ing-houses for the Dissenters. Alton 
has a national school. The market is 
on Saturday, and there are two fairs in 
the year. The population in 1831 was 
2742. During the civil wars, the royal- 
ist troops, under Lord Hopton, were 
surprised at Alton by the parliamenta- 
rians under William Waller. 

Near East Meon, two miles south- 
east of West Meon, through which lat- 
ter place the road passes, the scenery is 
very beautiful, and in some respects sin- 
gular. " Here is a very fine valley in 
nearly an elliptical form, sheltered by 
high hills sloping gradually from it ; 
and not far from the middle of this val- 
ley there is a hill nearly in the form of a 
goblet glass with the foot and stem broken 



30 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



off and turned upside down : and this is 
clapped down upon the level of the val- 
ley, just as you would put such goblet 
upon a table. The hill is lofty, partly 
covered with wood, and it gives an air 
of great singularity to the scene."* 

On the west, between Warnford and 
Exton, is Beacon Hill, one of the lof- 
tiest hills in the county. From its summit 
may be obtained an excellent view of 
the Isle of Wight and of the sea, with 
an extensive prospect on the east into 
Sussex, and on the south-west over the 
New Forest into Dorsetshire. 

A few miles nearer Gosport, and mid- 
way between this road and the London 
and Portsmouth road is the small mar- 
ket-town of Hambledon, a long strag- 
gling place, situated in a valley formed 
by hills of no great elevation, but of very 
pretty appearance. The parish of Ham-' 
bledon is a hundred of itself. 

After passing over the western ex- 
tremity of the Forest of Bere we reach 
Wickham, the birth-place, in 1324, of 
the illustrious William of Wykeham, 
the architect of Windsor Castle and 
founder of the colleges at Winchester 
and Oxford. The ancient church con- 
tains several interesting tombs and mo- 
numents. From Wickham to Fareham 
is about 4 miles. 

Fareham is situated at the head of 
the north-west branch of Portsmouth 
harbour, 73 miles from London, at the 
intersection of the road from London to 
Gosport and that from Chichester to 
Southampton : it is 13 miles from the 

• ' Rural Rides.' 



Southampton station. The parish is ex- 
tensive, containing 6670 acres : it consti- 
tutes the whole of the hundred, and had 
in 1831 a population of 4402. Fareham 
was in Leland's time a fishing village : it 
is now a tolerably thriving town, depend- 
ing for its prosperity chiefly on its neigh- 
bourhood to Portsmouth. Several per- 
sons connected with the naval establish- 
ments at Portsmouth reside here. Some 
small vessels are built at Fareham ; and 
cordage, sacking, and coarse pottery are 
made. Vessels of 300 tons can get up 
to the port ; and considerable trade in 
corn and coal is carried on. The market 
is on Wednesday, and there is one yearly 
fair. Petty sessions are held here. The 
architecture of the church is of various 
dates and styles ; the chancel is early 
English. The living is a rectory in the 
peculiar jurisdiction of the bishop of 
Winchester, in whose gift it is ; the an- 
nual value is 671/. There were in 1833 
twenty-two day and four boarding- 
schools, with nearly 700 children. There 
were also three Sunday-schools, con- 
taining above 400 children. There are 
congregations of Independents and Me- 
thodists. 

Cams Hall, the seat of H.P.Delme, 
Esq., is situated on the eastern side of 
a lake or inlet of Portsmouth harbour, 
that runs up to Fareham, from which 
town the mansion is about a mile dis- 
tant. It stands on the site of an older 
house, pulled down by the late John 
Delme, Esq., who also erected this in 
its room. It is built of brick, which 
being covered with a composition has 
the effect of stone ; the principal front, 



SOUTHAMPTON TO BISHOP S WALTHAM. 



31 



which faces to the south, commands 
views over a most interesting tract of 
country, including the hills of the Isle 
of Wight, Portsmouth harbour, Spit- 
head, and the British channel, with its 
numerous vessels passing and re-pass- 
ing. The interior is constructed upon a 
very splendid scale with fine billiard- 
rooms, baths, &c, but does not, we be- 
lieve, contain any distinguished work of 
art. 

Gosport, described in the next chap- 
ter, is 4 miles from Farehara. 

3. To Southampton, 
This is a branch of the above-men- 
tioned road between London and Gos- 
port, which it leaves at Meon Stoke, 27 
miles from Gosport, and 15 from South- 
ampton. The only place of any im- 
portance through which it passes is 
Bishop's Waltham. 

Bishop's Waltham is 10 miles 
south-east of the Winchester station, 
10 miles east-north-east of the South- 
ampton station, and 62 miles south- 
west-by-west from London. 

Bishop's Waltham has immemorially 
been the property of the see of Win- 
chester, whence the affix ' Bishop's.' 
Domesday describes it among the lands 
of the see in Hampshire, and says that 
it was held in demesne, and had always 
belonged to the bishopric. It was then, 
as formerly, assessed at twenty hides, 
but there were actually thirty. It was 
in the time of the Confessor worth 31/., 
was afterwards worth 10/. 10-9., but 
was then worth 30/. There were se- 
venty villagers and fifteen yeomen, em- 



ploying twenty-six ploughs ; there were 
seven servants ; and Radulphus, a priest, 
held two churches belonging to the 
manor, with two hides and a half. 
There were three mills which paid 
17s. 6d, Leland speaks of Bishop's 
Waltham as "a praty townlet; here 
the bishop of Winchester hath a right 
ample and goodly maner- place, motid 
about, and a praty brooke running hard 
by it. The maner-place hath been of 
many bishops' building; most part of 
the three parts of the lease court was 
buildid of brick and timbre by Bishop 
Langten ; the residew of the inner 
part is all of stone." The brook men- 
tioned is the small river H amble, the 
source of which is about a mile from 
the town, and passes through a piece 
of water which is described as having 
been a large and beautiful lake, half a 
mile long and a furlong broad ; but it is 
now deprived of this character by the 
growth of rushes and the encroach- 
ments of the soil. The bishop's castle, 
mentioned by Leland, was originally 
built by Bishop Henry de Blois, brother 
of King Stephen; but much of the 
grandeur which it ultimately attained 
is attributed to the architectural taste 
of William de Wykeham, whose fa- 
vourite residence it was, and who there 
terminated his active life at the age of 
eighty. The great hall in the second 
or inner court was 65 feet in length, 
27 in breadth, and 25 high, and was 
lighted by five large windows of mag- 
nificent proportions. The castle was 
demolished during the civil wars by the 
parliamentary army under Waller; and 



32 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



the ruins, which consist of the remains 
of the hall and of a square tower, are 
now mantled with ivy. The park in 
which it stood has since been converted 
into farms. The town is chiefly re- 
markable for the neighbourhood of this 
castle. In has, however, a trade of 
some activity in leather, of which it 
sends large quantities to Guernsey, 
London, and the neighbouring fairs ; 
there is also some business in malting. 
Its market is held on Friday ; and there 
are fairs on the second Friday in May, 
July 30th, and the first Friday after 
Old Michaelmas-day. The parish con- 
tained 438 houses in 1831, when the 
population amounted to 2181 persons, 
of whom 1115 were females. The 
church, which is dedicated to St. Peter, 
accommodates 1100 persons. The liv- 
ing is a rectory, with a net income of 
915/. per annum, in the diocese of Win- 
chester, the bishop being patron. There 
is an endowed charity school in the 
town founded by Bishop Morley. There 
are also two national schools in the 
town, containing together eighty boys 
and as many girls. 

Waltham Chace is eastward of the 
town. 

4. To Winchester. 

This is the fourth important branch 
of the great road from Farnham into 
Hampshire. It branches from the 
London and Gosport road, about a mile 
south-west of Alton, and passes through 
Alresford. North of this line of road 
there are some cross roads through a 
beautiful country of sweeping downs 
and deep dells. 



Just after passing through Ropley 
Dean the valley of the Itchin com- 
mences. The river rises at Ropley 
Dean, at the foot of the high lands be- 
tween Alton and Alresford, and flows 
into Southampton Water. " The sides 
of the vale are, until you come down to 
within six or eight miles of Southamp- 
ton, hills or rising grounds of chalk co- 
vered more or less thickly with loam. 
Where the hills rise up very steeply 
from the valley the fertility of the corn 
lands is not so great ; but for a consi- 
derable part of the way the corn lands 
are excellent, and the farm-houses to 
which those lands belong, are for the 
far greater part under covert of the 
hills on the edge of the valley." * 

Alresford, a neat little market- 
town, is 7i miles east-by-north of the 
Winchester station, and is situated on 
the high road from London to Win- 
chester, through Alton and Farnham, 
the distance from London being 57 
miles. Three miles east of Alresford 
there is a branch from this road to Pe- 
tersfield into Sussex, which crosses the 
London and Gosport and the London 
and Portsmouth roads, the former about 
7 miles east of Alresford, and the latter 
at Petersfield. The town is situated 
on the river Itchin, and has a very 
pretty appearance from the hills coming 
from Abbotstone. It was formerly a 
place of far greater importance than at 
present, and sent a representative to 
parliament. It probably owed its pros- 
perity to the circumstance of the river 

• ' Rural Rides.' 



ALRESFORD. 



33 



having been rendered navigable by a 
head or pond of 200 acres, formed by- 
Godfrey de Lacy, Bishop of Winches- 
ter, early in the thirteenth century. At 
present the navigation does not extend 
above Winchester, and is there con- 
fined to a few barges. The town has been 
twice destroyed by fire, once in 1690, 
and again in 1710. It has a manufac- 
tory of linseys; the population in 1831 
was 1437, or if we include that of Old 
Alresford, a village in the immediate 
neighbourhood, and which some consi- 
der as another part of the same parish, 
it may be taken at nearly 1900. Al- 
resford has a national school. The 
market, which is held on Thursday, is 
chiefly for corn. 

During the summer of 1833 a large 
quantity of English silver coins, all of 
the reign of William the Conqueror, 
were found in a leaden box in a field a 
short distance from this town. About 
7000 of these coins are now in the Bri- 
tish Museum. 

After passing Alresford, at a dis- 
tance of about 3 miles from the road, is 
Avington Park, a seat of the duke 
of Buckingham. The manor, originally 
a royal demesne, was given by King 
Edgar, in 961, to the monastery of St. 
Swithin at Winchester. At the disso- 
lution it became the property of the 
Clerks, of Micheldever, in this county ; 
but in the time of Queen Elizabeth we 
find it passed to the family of Brugges 
or Brydges. From the intermarriage of 
Sir Thomas Brugge with Alice, grand- 
daughter of the Sir John Chandos who 
so highly distinguished himself in the 



French wars under Edward III., springs 
the present family. During the reign of 
Charles II. Avington was possessed in 
marriage by Anne Maria Brudenell, 
better known as the infamous Count- 
ess of Shrewsbury, whose former hus- 
band, from whom she derived that 
title, died from a wound received in 
a duel with George Villiers, Duke 
of Buckingham, her paramour. It is 
said that she was present on the occa- 
sion, disguised as a page, and held 
the duke's horse. Charles II. visited 
Avington frequently while she was its 
owner ; and a room in the old house 
used to be shown as Nell Gwynn's 
dressing-room. The present mansion, 
built principally of brick, is situated in 
a well planted and secluded valley, 
nearly surrounded with high downs. Se- 
veral of the apartments are fitted up 
with great elegance, and enriched with 
valuable works of art by Rembrandt, 
Cuyp, Carlo Dolce, Claude Lorraine, 
N. Poussin, Salvator Rosa, Ruysdael, 
Domenichino, Reubens, Correggio, Gui- 
do, Albert Durer, Holbein, Wilson, 
&c. In front of the house extends a 
fine sheet of water, formed from a trans- 
parent stream that flows through the 
valley. The park is about 3 miles in 
circumference. 

Before reaching Winchester the road 
passes over Magdalen Hill, often called 
Morning Hill. This is the highest 
point of a ridge of hills, stretching 
southward, and descending in elevation 
towards Bishop's Waltham. The view 
from the summit embraces a tract of 
country about 70 miles in diameter, 

D 



u 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



and includes the Isle of Wight in one 
direction, and the high lands of Berk- 
shire in another ; hut the general aspect 
of barrenness in the immediate vicinity 
of this eminence renders the prospect 



less pleasing than it would otherwise be. 
The series of hills to the south, as far 
as Upham, are amongst the most bar- 
ren of the downs of England. 



35 



CHAPTER IV 



PORTSMOUTH, GO SPORT, AND PORT SEA, 



Portsmouth, the road to which we 
have described in the preceding chapter, 
is 73 miles from the General Post-office, 
London, by the mail road through Kings- 
ton, Guildford, Godalming, and Peters- 
field : it is 18 miles from the railway 
station at Southampton. By means of 
the semaphore telegraph communica- 
tions can be conveyed from the Admi- 
ralty, in London, to Portsmouth, in five 
minutes. The railway now constructing 
from Gosport to Bishop's Stoke, on 
the South Western Railway, will most 
probably be opened in 1S41, until 
which time much of the traffic from 
London will doubtless be carried on in 
the old channel. 

The harbour of Portsmouth is formed 
by the western end of an inlet of the 
British Channel, which with its various 
creeks extends nearly sixteen miles 
from west to east : from Fare:: am to 
Fishbourn, a village close to Chiches- 
ter : and about four miles, on the aver- 
age, from the open sea inland. Two 
large alluvial islands, Portsea island on 
the west, and Hayling island on the 
east, divide this inlet into three parts. 
The westernmost and smallest part 
forms Portsmouth harbour, between 
Portsea island and the main ; the 



middle portion, between Portsea and 
Hayling island, forms Langston har- 
bour : and the eastern part, between 
Hayling and the main, is divided by a 
smaller island (Thorney island) into 
Emsworth channel and Chichester har- 
bour. Each of these divisions presents, 
when the tide is up, a noble sheet of 
water ; but when the tide is out, they 
are chiefly occupied by mod banks, 
separated by channels of greater or less 
width. The greater depth of the chan- 
nel, the narrowness of its entrance, and 
the consequent facility of defending it, 
render Portsmouth harbour by very far 
the best of the three. Portsmouth 
Harbour is indeed the finest in Great 
Britain, with the exception of Mil ford 
Haven, in Pembrokeshire : which, from 
its position, has not been so much used. 
Portsmouth Harbour, lying on the south 
coast of England, and within 70 miles 
of London, has been rendered the chief 
seat of our navy, though Chatham, in 
more recent years, has shared with it, 
and even approached it in some respects. 
The roadstead between the mouth of 
Portsmouth harbour and the Isle of 
Wight forms an anchorage, part of 
which is well known under the name 
of Spithead. Adjacent to Spithead, on 
D 2 



PORTSMOUTH. 



37 



the coast of the Isle of Wight, near the 
eastern extremity of the island, is the 
bay of St. Helens, a place of rendezvous 
for the navy ; and between Covves and 
the Isle of Wight is the Motherbank, 
an anchorage for smaller vessels. 

The excellence of the port attracted 
the notice of the Romans, who esta- 
blished a station at Porchester, on its 
northern shore. This was probably the 
Portus Adurni, or perhaps the " Portus 
Magnus" of the Notitia; and the ele- 
ment of the Roman name Port-us has 
been transmitted directly or mediately 



to the modern Port-chester, Portsea 
{Ports'-ey, " the island of the port,") 
Ports-mouth, Ports-down, and Gos-port. 
The decline of Port-chester, where 
there are still some Roman remains, is 
ascribed to the retiring of the sea, in 
consequence of which the inhabitants 
removed and built Portsmouth, which 
is first noticed in the Saxon Chronicle 
on occasion of the landing (a.d. 501) of 
a body of Saxon allies of Cerdic, founder 
of the West Saxon kingdom. The leader 
of this body is said to have been called 
Porta, and some have supposed the 







[Portsmouth and Portsea, Gosport, and Porchester* Castle in the Seventeenth Century] 



38 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 




[House in which the Duke of Buckingham was assassinated.] 



name Portsmouth to have been derived 
from this circumstance ; but the ety- 
mology given above appears much more 
probable. 

Portsmouth was a place of importance 
in the time of Henry I. Robert of Nor- 
mandy landed here with a strong force 
(a.d. 1101) when he came to dispute the 
crown with Henry I. : and the Empress 
Maud, with her supporter the Earl of 
Gloucester, landed here (a.d. 1140) to 
dispute the crown with Stephen. Rich- 
ard I. granted to the town a charter, with 



the privilege of a weekly market and a 
yearly fair of fifteen days ; and from some 
ancient records it has lately been ascer- 
tained that there was a naval station at 
Portsmouth in the reign of John. In 
the time of Richardll. Portsmouth was 
burnt by the French. Edward IV. and 
Richard III. secured it by fortifications, 
which were completed by Henry VII. 
In the reign of Henry VIII. it became 
the principal if not the only station of 
the English navy; and in a.d. 1544 an 



indecisive 



engagement 



between the 



PORTSMOUTH. 



39 



English and French fleets took place 
off Spithead. In the time of Charles I. 
(a.d. 1628) the Duke of Buckingham, 
who had come down to hasten the 
equipment of the armament for the relief 
of Rochelle, was assassinated here. In 
the great civil war the town w T as garri- 
soned for the parliament. The marriage 
of Charles II. with Catherine of Bra- 
ganza was celebrated here (a.d. 1662). 
Since the time of Henry VIII. the for- 
tifications have been so far extended 
(especially in the reigns of Charles II., 
William III., and George III.) as to be 
now impregnable. It is said to require 
a garrison of 13,500 men to man the 
works and the forts : the moats, which 
are wide and deep, can be filled with 
water from the sea. 

The town of Portsmouth is situated 
at the south-western extremity of Port- 
sea island, and just at the entrance of 
the harbour. It is enclosed by fortifi- 
cations forming a semicircle to land- 
ward, and has an area of 110 acres. It 
contained, in 1831, 1195 houses (besides 
6 building and 40 uninhabited), inha- 
bited by 1627 families ; the population 
was 8083. The streets are paved and 
lighted, but, with the exception of High- 
street, are narrow, and consist of houses 
of inferior appearance. There are some 
substantial houses in High-street and 
on the Grand Parade, which is at the 
western end of High-street. 

North of Portsmouth is Portsea, con- 
siderably larger than Portsmouth, ex- 
tending along the harbour, and con- 
taining the dockyard and the principal 
establishments connected with it. Port- 



sea is the new town and Portsmouth the 
old town of the municipal and parlia- 
mentary borough of Portsmouth. Port- 
sea, like Portsmouth, is strongly forti- 
fied, and its defences are so united with 
those of Portsmouth, that the two towns 
may be considered as comprehended in 
the circuit of one fortress. The streets 
of Portsmouth and Portsea are well 
lighted and paved. Outside the fortifi- 
cations of these two towns are extensive 
suburbs, as Southsea, on the east of 
Portsmouth ; Landport, adjacent to Port- 
sea ; and Mile End and Kingston, ra- 
ther more remote. Some of the houses 
in the suburbs are handsome, especially 
those on Southsea Common : others, 
though neatly and regularly built, are 
smaller and of inferior description. 
There are some groups of habitations 
less connected with Portsmouth. All 
these suburbs are in the parish of 
Portsea, which comprehends the whole 
of Portsea island, except the town of 
Portsmouth, some extra-parochial dis- 
tricts, chiefly belonging to government, 
on the east side, on the shore of Langs- 
ton harbour, formerly occupied by some 
salterns, and the northern extremity of 
the island, which is in Wimmering pa- 
rish. 

The mouth of Portsmouth harbour is 
about 2 miles wide between Fort Monk- 
ton and Southsea Castle, two strong 
forts erected to command the approach. 
Within these ^ points the passage nar- 
rows to about a furlong, at what may 
be considered the true entrance into the 
harbour: within this entrance the har- 
bour widens to half a mile between the 



40 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 




PORTSMOUTH. 



41 



dock-yard at Portsea and the town of 
Gospovt on the opposite side : farther in 
it expands to the width of three miles, 
and contains the three small low islands, 
Pewit Island, Horsea Island, and Whale 
Island. There is sufficient depth of 
water for a first-rate ship to enter the 
harbour at almost any time of the tide. 
About a mile and a half from the en- 
trance the main channel branches into 
three arms, leading respectively to Fare- 
ham, Porchester, and Portsbridge, and 
the northern end of Portsea Island. 

Portsmouth Dock-yard is the largest 
in the kingdom, covering nearly 120 
acres; it has a wharf-wall along the 
harbour of nearly three quarters of 
a mile ; and is enclosed on the land 
side by a wall 14 feet high, which com- 
pletely separates it from the town. The 
entrance to the Dock-yard from the 
town is by a gateway : strangers are 
admitted without any formal introduc- 
tion. The great basin has its entrance 
in the centre of the wharf-wall: it is 
two acres and a half in area, 380 feet in 
length, and 260 feet in breadth. Four 
dry-docks open into this basin, and on 
each side is another dry-dock, all ca- 
pable of receiving first-rate ships. Be- 
sides these, there is a double dock for 
frigates. There are also six building- 
slips, two of which are capable of 
receiving the largest vessels. The 
Dock-yard includes a rope-house, (three 
stories high, 54 feet broad, and 1094 
feet long,) anchor wharfs, anchor forges, 
copper-sheathing foundry, block, mast, 
and store-houses, building-slips, docks 
for repairing ; in a word, all that is re- 



quisite for the construction, equipment, 
armament, and repair of vessels. There 
are also residences for the port admiral, 
the admiral superintendent, and the 
officers of the yard ; a chapel, school for 
naval architecture, and other buildings. 
The block machinery, invented by Mr. 
M. J. Brunei, is an admirable mani- 
festation of mechanical skill : it is im- 
pelled by steam. There are forty-four 
machines, which are arranged in three 
sets for blocks of different sizes. They 
take the rough timber, cut it up, shape, 
and bore it, and carry the process 
through to the completion of the block. 
The machinery is capable of producing 
1400 blocks daily, and supplies the 
whole of the British navy. The number 
of men employed in the dock-yard, in 
time of war, has amounted to 4000, 
and even 5000. They consist of block- 
makers, braziers and tinmen, caulkers, 
carpenters, locksmiths, painters and 
glaziers, plumbers, sail-makers, sawyers, 
shipwrights, smiths, rope-makers, wheel- 
wrights, workmen at wood-mills, at me- 
tal, &c. ; and labourers employed in 
various departments. Convicts are em- 
ployed at Portsmouth, as at other 
dock-yards belonging to the naval 
service. The dock-yard has three times 
been seriously injured by fire: in 1760 
from the effect of lightning; in 1770 
from an unascertained cause ; and in 
1776 from the attempt of an incen- 
diary, John Aitkin, otherwise " Jack 
the Painter, 5 ' who was executed for the 
crime at Winchester, in 1777. Adja- 
cent to the dock-yard is the spacious 
and well- furnished gun-wharf and its 



42 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



connected buildings. It is the grand 
depot for cannon, shot, and every de- 
scription of ordnance stores. 

The parish church of St. Thomas, 
Portsmouth, is a spacious building, in- 
cluding some ancient portions, but 
mingled with additions of various later 
periods. The tower is 120 feet high, 
and forms a good mark for seamen ; 
but the architecture is heavy and taste- 
less. It is surmounted by a cupola : 
the whole is crowned by the model of 
a ship, which serves as a vane. The 
church contains a fine monument to 
Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, and the 
inscription records the manner of his 
death by Felton. The garrison chapel, 
on the Grand Parade, is an ancient 
structure, once belonging to the hos- 
pital of " Domus Dei " (House ofGod),- 
repaired and fitted up in modern times 
for the officers and soldiers of the gar- 
rison. The parish church of St. Mary, 
Portsea, is in the suburb of Kingston ; 
it is an ancient building, surrounded by 
one of the largest burial grounds in the 
kingdom. The chapels of St. George 
and St. John, in Portsea, are commo- 
dious edifices, of little architectural 
beauty, erected in the latter half of the 
last century. The new church of St. 
Paul, Southsea, capable of accommo- 
dating 1900 persons, is a quadrangular 
building, in the perpendicular style of 
Gothic architecture, with four low tur- 
rets at the angles: the church of All 
Saints, Mile End, is of similar architec- 
ture, with a handsome western front, 
crowned with a bell-turret; it will ac- 
commodate more than 1700 persons. A 



new Gothic church, with a tower, has 
been built at Portsmouth, capable of 
holding above 1200 persons, and an- 
other has been built, or is in course of 
erection in Portsea; making altogether 
nine places of worship of the Establish- 
ment. Those of the protestant dissent- 
ers are yet more numerous ; and there 
are a Roman Catholic chapel and a 
Jews' synagogue. 

Among the other public buildings are 
the Town Hall, with a covered market- 
place underneath, in High-street ; the 
governor's house on the Grand Pa- 
rade, originally part of the hospital of 
Domus Dei, but so much altered as to 
retain little of its monastic appearance ; 
the residence of the lieutenant-governor; 
the theatre ; a national school-house, 
with concert, assembly, and card rooms 
above ; and the building of the Philo- 
sophical Society : all these are in Ports- 
mouth. The ramparts are planted with 
trees, and form an agreeable promenade : 
the saluting battery at the end of the 
parade commands a fine view of the 
anchorage of S pithead and the Isle of 
Wight. About two miles from the 
town, on the London road, extending 
from the road to the harbour, is an 
extensive cemetery, laid out and planted 
with trees, and furnished with a chapel 
for the burial-service, and an office for 
the officiating minister. 

The population of Portsmouth has 
been given: that of Portsea in 1831 
was 42,306 ; of Portsmouth and Port- 
sea together, 50,389 {Pop. Returns). 
Of the inhabitants of Portsea 14,874 
were in the town, 23,325 in the su- 



PORTSMOUTH. 



43 



burbs (Rep. of Muni dp. Corpor. Com- 
missi oners). The area of Portsea pa- 
rish is given in the same return at 
4930 acres: the number of inhabited 
houses at 8215, besides 57 building and 
327 uninhabited ; and the number of 
families at 9767. The trade of the 
place, which is considerable at all times, 
but especially in time of war, depends 
much upon the expenditure connected 
with or caused by the naval station and 
dock-yard : and is of a very miscella- 
neous character. 

Portsmouth felt severely the decline 
of business on the termination of the 
war in 1315. The injury has not been 
a permanent one : M If," say the Boun- 
dary Commissioners, in their Report on 
Portsmouth, " the prosperity of the place 
be compared with its prosperity in time 
of war, it may be considered as dimin- 
ished : but if it be compared with periods 
of peace, it cannot be considered on the 
decline.'' The Municipal Commission- 
ers who inspected the place in 1834 
(three years afterwards) are more de- 
cided in their expression of opinion. 
They say, " The prosperity of the town 
is considered to have depended mainly 
upon the excitement produced by the 
war, and to have declined much since 
the termination of it. We are of opinion 
that this notion is at any rate exagger- 
ated. The population has been steadily 
upon the increase, and although one 
very important excitement to trade has 
subsided others appear to have been 
created. More horses and carriages are 
kept than formerly. It is, however, 
said, that the new houses which are 



built are on a smaller scale than the old 
ones, and that profits are much reduced. 
There are few persons of large fortune ; 
the property is considered to be more 
equally distributed here than else- 
where." 

The " port" extends from the town of 
Emsworth, on Emsworth channel on 
the east, to the entrance of Southamp- 
ton Water on the west ; and includes 
Portsmouth and Langston harbours, 
Emsworth channel and the roadsteads of 
Spithead and the bay of St. Helens, be- 
tween Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. 
There is considerable coasting and 
foreign trade carried on. The Ports- 
mouth and Arun canal was originally 
carried nearly across Portsea island, 
(entering it from Langston harbour, 
across which the canal boats were towed 
by steam) to its terminus in a capacious 
basin at Landport. But the creek at 
Portsbridge having been rendered navi- 
gable since the last peace, barges have 
thus direct access to the docks and 
wharfs of the harbour and towns sur- 
rounding it : and the cut being now use- 
less, the basin has been filled up and 
built upon. There is a considerable 
import of coal, (it has increased 30 per 
cent, in the ten years ending 1834) and 
also of cattle from the Isle of Wight, 
and from the West of England : 50,000 
sheep have been brought in in a single 
year. Corn and provisions are brought 
in from Ireland, eggs from France, tim- 
ber from the Baltic, and wine is im- 
ported direct from the continent. The 
gross amount of Customs duty col- 
fected in 1339 was 58,290/. Seve- 



44 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



ral steam-vessels visit the port, some 
of which go and return several times 
in the day ; and there are others which 
touch here in their passage. Commu- 
nication is thus kept up with the Isle of 
Wight, Southampton, Plymouth, and 
Havre. A considerable part of the land 
round the town is laid out in market 
gardens, from which the town is supplied 
with excellent vegetables. Tuesday, 
Thursday, and Saturday are market- 
days. There is a yearly fair, of fifteen 
days, from the 10th July, but after 1840 
its duration will be limited to a shorter 
period ; and a holiday fair held on Ports- 
down hill, at the close of Portsmouth 
fair, is much frequented. 

The corporation of Portsmouth is said 
to have been established by Henry I. ; 
but the earliest known charter is of 
Richard I. The borough limits for- 
merly included the parish and town of 
Portsmouth ; the town of Portsea and 
a considerable part of the parish of 
Portsea, extending along the harbour, 
the whole of which was in the jurisdic- 
tion of the corporation. By the Boun- 
dary Act, the limits were extended for 
parliamentary purposes, so as to include 
the whole parish of Portsea ; and by 
the Municipal Reform Act the parlia- 
mentary limits, thus extended, were 
adopted for municipal purposes. The 
enlarged borough is divided into six 
w r ards: the number of aldermen was 
fixed by the Municipal Reform Act at 
fourteen ; the number of councillors at 
forty-two. Quarter sessions for the 
borough are held. There is a court 
of record having jurisdiction in all 



personal actions; and petty sessions 
are held three times in the week. 
The prison is not well situated, nor 
is it sufficient for the proper classi- 
fication of the prisoners. There is 
neither chapel nor chaplain. The 
place is kept clean, but the discipline is 
considered too lax. {Inspectors of Pri- 
sons : Third Report.) The average 
number of prisoners is fifty. Ports- 
mouth first returned members to par- 
liament 23 Edward I. : the number of 
voters before the Reform Act was very 
small, but is now considerable. The 
number on the register in 1836 was 
1439. 

The living of Portsmouth is a vicar- 
age of the clear yearly value of 555/., 
with a glebe-house. The living of Port- 
sea is also a vicarage, of the clear yearly 
value of 696/., with a glebe-house. The 
perpetual curacies of the chapels are in 
clearyearly value as follows: — St. George 
45/. with a glebe-house ; St. John 141/. 
with a glebe-house ; St. Paul's, South- 
sea, 310/. ; and All Saints, Mile End, 
160/. The vicar of Portsea is patron of 
these, except St. John's, to which the 
proprietors of pews present. 

There were in 1833, in the parishes 
of Portsmouth and Portsea, an infant 
school with 40 children, held in Portsea 
workhouse ; a grammar school for 20 
free scholars ; a large school called 
" the Beneficial Society School,'' with 
from 260 to 300 boys; the "Portsea 
Institution," for 110 girls; two Lancas- 
terian schools, with 250 boys and 112 
girls ; two national schools, with 409 
boys and 160 girls; the "Seamen's 



GOSPORT. 



45 



School," with 210 boys and 80 girls; 
a " National School of Industry," with 
40 boys and 40 girls ; two workhouse 
schools, with 70 boys and 60 girls ; and 
four other schools, wholly or partly sup- 
ported by subscription, with 271 chil- 
dren of both sexes. There was a pro- 
prietary school with 100 boys; and 
there were about 270 day or boarding 
and day schools, most of them of a very 
humble description. There were re- 
turns of the number of scholars from 
217 of these schools, which contained 
1243 boys, 472 girls, and 2657 children 
of sex not distinguished. There were 
at the same time twenty-six Sunday 
schools, with 4629 scholars of both 
sexes. Some of the charity and most 
of the Sunday schools have lending li- 
braries attached. There are a Ports- 
mouth and Portsea Literary and Philo- 
sophical Society, with a tolerably exten- 
sive museum ; an institution called the 
" Hampshire Library Society," with a 
valuable collection of books, and a Me- 
chanics' Institution. 

Besides the fortifications of the two 
towns of Portsmouth and Portsea, the 
island of Portsea has strong defences. 
On the southern extremity is Southsea 
Castle, built by Henry V1IL, mounted 
with heavy cannon, and commanding 
the approach to the harbour from the 
eastward ; and on the eastern point, at the 
entrance to Langston harbour, which it 
commands, is Fort Cumberland, a large 
fort erected in 1746, and mounted with 
100 heavy guns. The entrance to the 
island from the north is defended by 
lines carried along the bank of the 



channel which separates the island 
from the main land, and by other works 
at Hilsea, four miles from Portsmouth. 
Fort Monkton, which commands the 
approach to the harbour from the west, 
corresponding in situation to Southsea 
Castle on the east, and the fortifica- 
tions of the town of Gosport, on the 
shore of the harbour opposite Ports- 
mouth, are also to be considered as part 
of the system of defences which pro- 
tect Portsmouth harbour. 

Gosport is situated within the parish 
of Alverstoke, and on the western side 
of Portsmouth harbour, near its en- 
trance, 73 miles south-by-west from 
London. A floating-bridge was esta- 
blished early in 1840, which plies across 
the harbour between Portsmouth and 
Gosport every half-hour. A second 
bridge is intended to be established, and 
when both are in operation they will 
start from either shore every quarter of 
an hour. The distance is about a mile, 
and the passage is made under ten 
minutes. The bridge is worked by two 
steam-engines, and several hundred per- 
sons may be conveyed at one trip, be- 
sides coaches and other vehicles. In 
the reign of Henry VIII. Gosport is 
described by Leland as a mere vil- 
lage, inhabited by fishermen. It is now 
a market-town of importance, and in 
time of war is a place of great activity. 
Gosport is subject to the jurisdiction of 
the county magistrates. About the be- 
ginning of the present century it was 
strengthened by a line of bastions which 
extend from Weovil to Alverstoke. The 
Royal Clarence Yard, within the lines, 



46 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



contains the brewery, victualling de- 
partment, &c, from which the Royal 
Navy are supplied. The coasting trade 
is considerable. There are several dis- 
tilleries, and an extensive iron foundry, 
where chain cables and anchors are 
made. The market-days are Tuesday, 
Thursday, and Saturday. Gosport is a 
chapelry to the neighbouring village of 
Alverstoke, and is in the diocese of 
Winchester, the living being a curacy 
worth 100/. per annum, in the gift of 
the rector of Alverstoke. The rectory 
of Alverstoke is in the patronage of the 
bishop of Winchester, and has an aver- 
age net income of 1287/. The chapel 
is spacious and neat, and stands to the 
south of the town, in the centre of a 
cemetery well stocked with shrubs. 
Besides an almshouse there are several 
charity schools supported by voluntary 
donations. Near the extremity of the 
point of land which forms the west side 
of Portsmouth harbour is situated the 



Royal Hospital of Haslar, founded at 
the suggestion of the earl of Sandwich, 
and erected between the years 1750 and 
1762. The ordinary expenses of this 
establishment, which is intended ex- 
clusively for the reception of sick and 
wounded seamen, is about 5000/. per 
annum, and it contains accommoda- 
tions for more than 2000 patients. The 
portico of the centre building is sur- 
mounted by the royal arms, and by two 
figures representing commerce and na- 
vigation. The population of Gosport 
with Alverstoke was 12,637 in 1831, 
and had much increased in conse- 
quence of the removal of the victualling 
establishment from Portsmouth. Gos- 
port is a polling-place for the southern 
division of the county. 

Bingham Town is a populous suburb, 
containing many genteel residences ; 
and Anglesea, about two miles from 
Gosport, on Stoke' s Bay, is a new and 
fashionable watering-place, 



47 



CHAPTER V. 



THE WINCHFIELD STATION. 



The Winchfield station is 38 miles 
from London and about a mile south of 
the great western road to Exeter, De- 
vonport, and Falmouth : it is about 
245 feet higher than the level of the 
Vauxhall terminus. From its entrance 
into the county to Winchfield there is 
no place on this road which requires 
particular notice, with the exception of 
Elvetham House, the seat of Lord 
Calthorpe, which is about a mile south 
of Hartford Bridge, and was formerly a 
place of great extent and magnificence. 
It is chiefly now remembered for the 
entertainment given to Queen Eliza- 
beth by the Earl of Hartford, in 1591. 
An account of the ceremonies, pageants, 
&c, which took place on this occasion 
was published at the time ; and which, 
reprinted in Warner's Collections for 
Hampshire, occupies no less than twenty 
goodly quarto pages of that publication. 
A somewhat briefer notice will doubtless 
suffice here. Elvetham, it appears, not 
being one of the earl's chief seats, was 
not thought large enough for the recep- 
tion of her majesty ; so 500 artificers 
were set at work to enlarge it, and to 
raise various additional buildings on a 
hill side within the park, for the enter- 



tainment of the nobles, gentlemen, &c, 
of the suite. Among these was a room 
of state, and a withdrawing room for 
the queen, the floor of which was co- 
vered with sweet herbs and green rushes, 
the walls with arras, and the roof with 
" work of ivy leaves," whilst the exterior 
was decorated with boughs, and clusters 
of ripe hazel nuts. Close by were 
erected " a spicerie, larderie, chaundrie, 
wine-cellar, ewery, and panterie, all 
which were tyled." Another large hall 
was erected for the entertainment of 
knights, ladies, gentlemen of chief ac- 
count, and other separate places of ac- 
commodation respectively for M her ma- 
jesty's footmen and their friends," for 
i( her majesty's guard," for " other of- 
ficers of her majesty's household ;" and, 
lastly, for the entertainment of " all 
comers, suiters, and the like." A large 
and "goodly pond" was erected, and 
mimic forts and islands raised in its 
centre, &c. &c. The first day was de- 
voted to the proper reception of Eliza- 
beth. " About three of the clocke his 
honour seeing^ all his retinue well 
mounted and ready to attend his plea- 
sure, he drew them secretly into a chief 
thicket of the park; where, in few 



48 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



words, but well couched to the purpose, 
he put them in mind what quietness, 
and what diligence, or other dutie they 
were to use at that present, that their 
service might first work her majesty's 
content and thereby his honour, and 
lastlie their own credit, with increase 
of his love and favour towards them.'' 
A handsome procession was formed by 
the earl and his train, amounting to the 
number of 300 persons, most of them 
wearing chains of gold about their necks, 
and in their hats yellow and black fea- 
thers, who met her majesty about two 
miles from Elvetham. " Half-way be- 
tween the park-gate and the house, a 
poet saluted her with a Latine oration, 
in heoricall verse ; I mean veridicus 
vates—a. soothsaying poet, nothing in- 
ferior for truth, and little for the deli- 
very of his mind to an ordinarie orator. • 
This poet was clad in greene to signify 
the joy of his thoughts at her entrance ; 
a laurel garland on his head to express 
that Apollo was patrone of his studies ; 
an olive-branch in his hand to declare 
what continual peace and plentie he did 
both wish and aboade to her majestie ; 
and, lastly, booted, to betoken that he 
was vates cothurnatus, and not a loose, 
or lovve creeping prophet, as poets are 
interpreted, by some idle or envious 
ignorante." 

Of the quality of this oration the fol- 
lowing specimen will doubtless convey 
a sufficient idea : 

" While, at the fountaine of the sacred hill, 
Under Apollo's lute I sweetly slept 
'Mongst prophets full possestwith holy fury 
And with true vertue void of all disdaine ; 



The Muses sung, and waked me with these 

words : 
' Seest thou that English nymph, in face 

and shape 
Resembling some great goddess, whose 

beams 
Doe sprinkle Heaven with unacquainted 

light, 
While she doth visit Semer's fraudless house, 
As Jupiter did honour with his presence 
The poor thatch cottage where Philemon 

dwelt V " 

" While the poet was pronouncing 
this oration, six virgins were behind 
him, busily removing blockes out of her 
majesties' way ; which blockes were 
supposed to bee layde there by the per- 
son of Envie, whose condition is to envie 
at every good, but especially to malice 
the proceedings of vertue, and the glory 
of true majesty." Singing a song, and 
strewing flowers in the path, these vir- 
gins preceded her majesty into the 
house. The second day was devoted to 
sports and pageants on the water, during 
which Nereus, the " prophet of the 
sea," at the head of five Tritons blowing 
their trumpets, and followed by Neptune 
and Ocean leading between them a 
pinnace furnished at all points as for 
sea, in which were three virgins who 
" played Scottish gigs," delivered an- 
other complimentary address. After 
this the sea-nymphs sang a song, of 
which the following is the first verse : 

u How haps that now when prime is don 
Another spring time is begun ? 
Our hemisphere is over runne 
With beauty of a second sunne 

Echo — a second sunne," &c. 



W1NCHFIELD TO ODIHAM. 



49 



" On the Wednesday morning about 
nine of the clock, as her majesty opened 
a casement of her gallerie window there 
were three excellent musicians, who 
being disguised in auncient country at- 
tire, did greet her with a pleasant song 
of Corydon and Phyllida, made in three 
parts of purpose." 

THE PLOWMAN'S SONG. 

" In the merrie moneth of May, 
In a morne by breake of day, 
Forth I walked by the wood side. 
Where as May was in his pride, 
There I spied all alone 
Phyllida and Corydon. 
Much adoe there was. God wot ! 
He would love, and she would not. 
She said never man was true, 
He said none was false to you. 
He said he had loved he long ; 
She said, love should have no wrong. 
Corydon would kiss her then, 
She said maides must kisse no men, 
Till they did for good and all. 
Then she made the shepheard call 
All the heavens to witness truth, 
Never lov'd a truer youth. 
Then with many a prettie oath, 
Yea and nay, and faith and troth, 
Such as silly shepheards use, 
When they will not love abuse, 
Love which had been long deluded, 
Was with kisses sweet concluded ; 
And Phyllida with garlands gay, 
Was made the lady of the May.*' 

Pageants of different kinds, intro- 
ducing every possible kind of flattery 
of the illustrious spectator, fireworks, 
discharges of artillery, music, dancing, 



hawking, and banqueting, filled up 
the remainder of the period that Eliza- 
beth stayed with her entertainer, who 
received at her departure her warm com- 
mendation and thanks for his magni- 
ficent hospitality. 

The mansion was repaired about the 
beginning of the present century, and 
made a handsome residence. The park 
and grounds, occupying an area of about 
two miles, were greatly improved by Mr. 
Emes, the well-known landscape gar- 
dener, who had a lease of them for 
twenty-one years. 

About two miles west of the Winch- 
field station is a road from Reading 
through Odiham to Alton, where it 
joins the roads from London to Gosport 
and London to Winchester : these roads 
are described in Chapter III. Pursuing 
that part of the first-mentioned road, 
which is south of the great western 
highway, we soon reach 

Odiham, three miles south of the 
Winchfield station, and about 40 
miles from London. The parish is 
large, comprehending 7550 acres, and 
had in 1831 a population of 2647, about 
half agricultural. The market is on 
Friday, and there are two yearly fairs. 
Odiham was formerly a free borough, 
belonging to the bishop of Winchester : 
it had a royal residence and park ; the 
remains of the residence have been con- 
verted into a farm-house, still called 
Palace Gate, or Place Gate. There is 
an old almshouse near the church, which 
latter is a large, ancient brick building. 
The living is a vicarage, with the pa- 
rochial chapelry of Grewell annexed, 



so 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



in the diocese and archdeaconry of Win- 
chester, of the yearly valuo ef 537/., 
with a glebe-house. There is an Inde- 
pendent congregation atOdiham. There 
were 'in the parish in 1833 ten day or 
boarding and day-schools, with about 
250 children: one of these schools, with 
forty-one children, was partially sup- 
ported by endowment : there was also 
one Sunday-school with 187 children. 
Odiham was the birth-place of Lilly the 
grammarian. 

Near Odiham are the remains of an 
old castle, which, in the civil wars at 
the close of King John's reign, was 
bravely but unsuccessfully defended by 
a garrison of thirteen against the Dau- 
phin, Louis of France. In this castle 
David Bruce, king of Scotland, was con- 
fined for eleven years after his capture 
at Neville's Cross. 

There is a road from Odiham to Farn- 
ham and Guildford, the former town 
being about eight miles south-east of 
Odiham. On this road, about two miles 
from Odiham, is Dogmersfield Park, 
the seat of Lady Mildmay. It is situ- 
ated near to the site of an ancient palace 
of the archbishop of Canterbury, which 
was standing here as early as the 12th 
century, and to which the extensive 
foundations that have been discovered 
in the neighbourhood are supposed to 
belong. The house is very extensive, 
has two fronts commanding distant 
views to the south and to the east, and 
includes a great number of spacious and 
elegant apartments. There are here 
some excellent pictures of the Italian, 
Venetian, and Flemish schools, and a 



few by our own countrymen. Among 
the great names they include are 
Claude Lorraine, Titian, Holbein, Van- 
dyck, Rembrandt, Reubens, N.Poussin, 
Teniers, Jansen, Sir P. Lely, Hoppner, 
&c. The park, comprising about 700 
acres, is finely wooded, and presents an 
agreeable diversity of surface. The 
shrubberies and pleasure-grounds were 
laid out by Ernes. Near the house is a 
lake of water of about forty -four acres in 
extent; and immediately adjoining the 
park is a large common covered with 
oaks and holly trees, and presenting in 
some parts a striking similarity to the 
New Forest. The late Sir Henry Pau- 
lett, who took the name of Mildmay, was 
paternally descended from the Ports, 
lords of Basing, and maternally from 
Wm. de St. John, a Norman chieftain 
who came over with the Conqueror. 

Returning to the road from Odiham 
to Alton, we pass through the village of 
South Warnborough, where there is a 
park and mansion. 

We now return to that part of the 
western road from which we diverged 
southward, and pursuing the northern 
branch of the road for about 2J miles, 
we find on the right, at the distance of 
2 miles from the road, 

Bramshill, an ancient mansion, oc- 
cupying an eminence, which gives it a 
very commanding appearance. Large as 
the house is at present, it forms but the 
central part of the building originally de 
signed. It was built for Henry Frederick, 
Prince of Wales, the eldest son of King 
James I.; and his coronet still sur- 
mounts the pediment in the middle of 



STRATHFIELDSAY. 



51 



the building. But it appears never to 
have been inhabited by the prince. 

The style is that which characterised 
the national taste at the time when 
Italian improvements were newly intro- 
duced into our old domestic architecture. 
Although the existing edifice forms but 
the central portion of the building ori- 
ginally designed, yet the centre itself 
has wings, one on each side of the 
entrance. The wings or projecting 
extremities are rather plain, and are 
constructed of brick, excepting that the 
numerous windows have stone dressings. 
The central portion is built wholly of 
stone, and is very profusely decorated. 
The portal leads to a vestibule or corri- 
dor of three divisions, enriched with an 
open carved parapet. The very elabo- 
rate ornaments which decorate the 
exterior of part of the building are a 
mixture of Grecian and Gothic ; and the 
whole centre is carried up in rich com- 
partments with pilasters from story to 
story, and surmounted by a pediment. 
From the pediment is continued a balus- 
trade perforated in quatrefoils. 

The porch presents a good example of 
the curious admixture of styles in the 
architecture of the reign of James I. The 
terrace is formed by a recess extending 
along the south side of the mansion, 
with arcades under the projecting wings 
at each end, and is a beautiful feature 
of the edifice, giving it a stately air of 
grandeur. There are two most inte- 
resting views of Bramshill in Mr. Nash's 
M Mansions of England in the Olden 
Time," in which figures are introduced 
in the costume of Charles I.'s time. 



In returning to the road and con- 
tinuing our course for about 2 miles 
further, we approach Strathfieldsay on 
the west of the road, from which the 
park is about a mile distant. 

Strathfieldsay, the seat of the 
Duke of Wellington, is situated about 
6J miles north-west of the Winchfield 
Station, and about the same distance 
north-east of the station at Basingstoke : 
it is about 3J miles east of Silchester. 
The parish of Strathfieldsay is partly 
in the county of Berkshire. A view of 
his grace's seat is given in the accom- 
panying cut. The park is not of very 
gre-t extent, the average breadth being 
about a mile, and the length about a 
mile and a half; but it is rendered 
pleasant, especially on the eastern side, 
by a diversity of hill and dale, and 
some fine trees ; and it is also enlivened 
by the waters of the river Loddon, 
which, winding through the grounds, 
are expanded into various sheets of 
ornamental water, near which the man- 
sion is situated. The term Strath, or 
Strat, as it is usually pronounced, seems 
to have been an old term signifying a 
" stretch n of level ground with eleva- 
tions running along the sides. In this 
sense it is frequently used in Scotland, 
and some instances of its employment 
with this meaning may be found in 
Wales. The addition of " Say " appears 
to have been derived from a family of 
that name, who originally possessed the 
domain, and from which it passed in 
marriage to that of the Dabridgecourts, 
who held it from the time of Richard 
II. to the year 1636. About that time 
e2 



strathfieldsay. 



53 



it was purchased by Sir W. Pitt, an 
ancestor of the Earl of Chatham, to 
whom it descended, and who, as well as 
his equally celebrated son, often resided 
here. 

The Duke of Wellington took his 
seat in the House of Peers on the 28th 
of June, 1814. He had but just ar- 
rived from Spain, the scene of his splen- 
did career of victories. After the cere- 
mony of introduction, all his patents of 
nobility were read ; and the Lord Chan- 
cellor, in delivering to his Grace the 
unanimous thanks of the House, took 
occasion to remark, in the course of his 
speech, that (a circumstance unprece- 
dented in our history) the first day on 
which the Duke had appeared among 
the Peers of England, he had produced 
titles in regular gradation to the whole 
of the honours of the peerage in the 
power of the crown to bestow. 

After the battle of Waterloo, the 
legislature was called upon to "take 
such measures as should afford a further 
proof of the opinion entertained by par- 
liament of the Duke of Wellington's 
transcendent services, and of the grati- 
tude and munificence of the British 
nation." But as there were no honours 
which the Duke had not already re- 
ceived, parliament could therefore only 
repeat their thanks, and increase their 
former munificent grant for the pur- 
chase of an estate, by the addition of a 
sum by which a palace might be 
erected on a scale of magnificence 
worthy the conqueror for whom it was 
designed. These several grants had 
now amounted to a considerable sum, 



and the trustees appointed to carry the 
intention of parliament into effect by 
the application of the funds to the pur- 
chase of an estate and the erection of a 
mansion suitable to the dignity of the 
Duke's rank, at length purchased the 
manor of Strathfieldsay. 

The first act, granting a sum of money 
to the Duke of Wellington for the pur- 
chase of an estate, was passed December 
22, 1812 (53 George III. c. 4). For 
this purpose, and in gratitude for the 
services of the Duke, " particularly at 
the battle of Salamanca," it vests in the 
hands of certain trustees the sum of 
100,000/. to be applied as above stated. 
This act was amended by another (53 
George III. c. 133), empowering the 
trustees to lay out a portion of the money 
in the erection of buildings. The next 
grant was made by the 54th George III. 
c. 161, which gives to the same fund 
the additional sum of 400,000/. (or an 
annuity of 13,000/.) to the Duke and his 
heirs. The sum granted after the 
battle of Waterloo was 200,000/., by the 
act authorising which (55 George III. 
c. 186) it is enacted that the estate 
purchased with the money should be 
deemed to be holden of the crown, on 
condition of sending to the king at 
Windsor a tri-coloured flag on the 1 8th 
June, the anniversary of Waterloo. 

Silchester is about four miles west 
of Strathfieldsay, but is nearer the 
Basingstoke Station. 

Silchester was certainly a Roman 
station of importance, though it is 
difficult to determine whether it was 
the Calleva Atrebatum or the Vin- 



54 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



domis of the Itinerary. Camden iden- 
tifies it with the latter, and assigns to it 
the British name of Caer Segont, which 
is said to have been destroyed in the 
invasion by Ella, who founded the king- 
dom of the South Saxons. The re- 
mains of this station are among the 
most entire in the kingdom. The walls 
form an irregular octagon and are about 
a mile and a half in compass ; they en- 
close a space of about 100 acres, divided 
into seven fields, together with the pa- 
rish church and churchyard, a farm- 
house and its offices. The enclosure 
contains several springs, and slopes to 
the south : the foundations of the streets 
may yet be traced running across it in 
parallel lines, and in the centre is an 
open space supposed to have been the 
forum, where the foundations of a large 
building and other remains have been 
dug up. The walls are generally from 
fifteen to eighteen feet high ; on the 
south side, where they are most perfect, 
they are twenty feet. There are four 
gates, facing the four cardinal points : 
some other openings have been made 
since the ruin of the town. The walls 
are formed by layers of flat stones of 
variable dimensions, and of rubble-stone 
consolidated by cement : the whole is 
surrounded by a ditch which has in 
many parts been filled up by the ruins 
of the wall. Coins, inscribed stones, 
and other antiquities have been dug up. 
At a short distance north-east of the wall 
are the remains of an amphitheatre. 

In 1833, some labourers, whilst 
cutting a drain m a field called the 



Nine-acre Field, within the walls of 
Silchester, and at a distance of about 
200 yards south-west from the church, 
struck upon three ancient foundations. 
The Rev. Mr. Cole, having obtained 
permission from the owner to prosecute 
the discovery, soon caused to be laid 
bare the entire foundations of what ap- 
peared to have been the Thermae, or 
public hot baths of the Roman city. 
There were five rooms in all, of which 
three are supposed to have been Hypo- 
causts, the fourth the Natatio, or water- 
bath, and the fifth a large ante-room, 
where the bathers undressed. The floors 
of the first three stood upon numerous 
round and square pillars of Roman 
brick, each about 3 feet 4 inches in 
height and 9 inches in diameter ; the 
walls were 3 feet 4 inches thick, and 
their dimensions 25 feet each one way, 
whilst the others were respectively 1 1 feet 
12 inches, 12 feet 9 inches, and 19 feet. 
The floors were composed of large square 
tiles, on which, in a bed of cement, had 
probably been originally a tesselated 
pavement. The ante-room was also 
paved with large square tiles, surrounded 
by a border of tesserae, each an inch 
square. A quantity of broken window- 
glass full of air-bubbles, and having a 
coarse surface, was found here. A hu- 
man skeleton found in the natatio, and 
with which was, in all probability, con- 
nected the Roman coins, to the number 
of above 200, found in a water-pipe in 
the same place. The skull of a dog was 
also lying close by. 



55 



CHAPTER VI. 



BASINGSTOKE STATION. 



The Basingstoke station is 46 miles 
from London, 18 miles from that at 
Winchester, and 30tJ from the terminus 
of the railway at Southampton : it is 290 
feet higher than the London terminus. 
The town of Basingstoke is an important 
centre of communication with various 
parts of the county, the roads from 
Newbury and Reading, from South- 
ampton and Winchester, from Alton 
and the Gosport road, and a road from 
Preston Candover, forming a junction 
at this point with the great western 
road. The Basingstoke Canal com- 
mences here, and communicates with 
the Thames by the river Wey, in 
Surrey, thus affording great facilities 
for the trade of the town. Before the 
opening of the South-western Railway, 
the number of coaches passing through 
Basingstoke was very great, but they 
have nearly all ceased to run, and not 
only is the appearance of the town 
much less cheerful and lively in conse- 
quence of this change, but many local 
interests are suffering from the transition. 
The great western road from London 
through Basingstoke enters the county 
at its north-eastern extremity, and pass- 
ing for about 5 miles along a ridge of 
high ground, crosses the Blackwater, 



passing through Hartford Bridge and 
Hook to Basingstoke, a distance of 
about 14 miles. 

Although the country around Basing- 
stoke is surrounded with woods, it is 
rich in pasture, and many fine houses 
are dispersed through it. A brook 
which runs by the town, called the 
Town Brook, rises about one mile and 
a half west of Basingstoke, and is the 
main branch of the Loddon, an affluent 
of the Thames. Basingstoke is men- 
tioned in Domesday Book under the 
name of Basin gtoches, and is described 
as having always been a royal manor 
which had never paid tax or been dis- 
tributed into hides, and which had, at 
the time of the Survey, a market worth 
30*. The Saxon addition of Stoke, or 
hamlet, would imply that previous to 
the Conquest it was of inferior import- 
ance to Basing, now called Old Basing, 
in its neighbourhood. 

At a short distance west from Basing- 
stoke is an ancient encampment: the 
embankment is about 1 100 yards in 
circumference* but no traces of a ditch 
are visible : it has two entrances, re- 
spectively east and west ; its form is 
that of an irregular oval, approaching 
to an oblong square. 



56 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



An hospital for the maintenance of 
aged and impotent priests was founded 
at Basingstoke by Henry III. at the 
instance of Walter de Merton, Bishop 
of Rochester and Lord Chancellor in 
that reign, and it became eventually 
appropriated to the reception of super- 
annuated fellows and scholars from the 
prelate's other foundation, Merton Col- 
lege, at Oxford. It stood on the north 
side of the brook, a little below the town 
bridge, and some remains of it might be 
traced not very long ago. 

On an eminence at the northern ex- 
tremity of Basingstoke are the remains 
of the Holy Ghost Chapel, described by 
Camden as having been erected in the 
reign of Henry VIII. by Sir William 
(afterwards Lord) Sandes. Mr. Car- 
ter, however, is of opinion that the 
architecture of the chapel is not of later 
date than the reign of Edward IV., al- 
though carvings appear to have been 
added and alterations made in the reign 
of Henry VIII. The site is known to 
have been an ancient burying-place, 
and as Winchester had bishops as early 
as the period of the Saxon Heptarchy, 
it is not improbable that there may be 
some truth in the tradition which makes 
a religious edifice to have then existed 
here, and in which, according to the 
same testimony, seven Saxon kings 
worshipped at one time. The tradition 
is also in some slight measure supported 
by the fact that Kingsclere, in the neigh- 
bourhood, was a royal residence during 
the Saxon period. The present chapel was 
at least re-established in accordance with 
a licence granted by Henry VIII. about 



1516 to Bishop Fox of Winchester and 
Sir William afterwards Lord Sandes ; 
it was dedicated to the Holy Ghost, and 
a brotherhood or guild established within 
it, which was by perpetual succession to 
continue for ever. At the dissolution 
the chapel escaped for the time ; but in 
the reign of Edward VI. it was broken 
up, and the estate taken for the king's 
use. In 1556, during the reign of 
Queen Mary, upon the petition of the 
inhabitants and at the intercession of 
Cardinal Pole, the guild was re-esta- 
blished and the estate returned for the 
maintenance of a priest, for the celebra- 
tion of divine service, and for the in- 
struction of the young men and boys of 
the town. The estate was again se- 
questered in the Civil War, and the 
• school closed for many years, till in 
1670 Bishop Morley succeeded in ob- 
taining their restoration. All the per- 
sons of whom the guild consisted in 
Queen Mary's reign were Papists: it is 
supposed that after her death no new 
members were admitted, and before the 
reign of James I. the fraternity had be- 
come extinct. The estate is still appro- 
priated to ecclesiastical purposes. 

The chapel is built of brick faced with 
freestone, and in a highly-enriched style 
of architecture. On piers between the 
windows on the south side are long, 
narrow pedestals, with niches rising 
above them. The angles of the tower 
are decorated in the same way. On the 
roof in the interior, Camden informs us 
that the history of the prophets, apos- 
tles, and disciples of Christ was very 
artificially described. Owing to neglect, 



BASINGSTOKE. 



57 



the chapel is now in ruins. It is said 
to have been stripped of a leaden roof 
during the siege of Basing House, in 
order to make balls for the besiegers, 
whilst others affirm that the chapel was 
tiled, and that the tiles have disappeared 
within a comparatively recent period. 
The present remains of the chapel are 
parts of the east and south walls, and 
a beautiful hexagonal turret tower at 
the south-west, which is almost entire 
with the exception of the winding stairs 
of its interior, which are completely 
gone. Camden states that Lord Sandes, 
who is supposed to have founded the 
guild and built the chapel without any 
pecuniary assistance from his nominal 
coadjutor Bishop Fox, lies buried here 
— a statement partially corroborated by 
the large pieces of marble dug up among 
the rubbish many years since, and bear- 
ing a coat of arms and other figures 
upon them. Adjoining the chapel is a 
regularly-built room, which has been 
supposed to have been the body of an 
ancient church, to which the chapel 
was attached as the chancel or choir. 
This is the only place that has been 
used for many years, as the chapel or 
school-room. 

The parish church, dedicated to St. 
Michael, is a spacious and handsome 
building, consisting of a nave, chancel, 
and side aisles, with a low square tower. 
The south side of the church is of stone, 
but the other sides are constructed with 
alternate squares of brick and stone. 
It was built in the reign of Henry VIII. 
under the direction of Fox, Bishop of 
Winchester. The living, which is of 



considerable value, is a discharged vi- 
carage in the gift of Magdalen College, 
Oxford : it is of the clear annual value 
of 572/. 

When woollen manufactures began 
to be first established in this country, 
Basingstoke obtained a considerable 
share in the business, and was particu- 
larly noted for its druggets and shal- 
loons. These manufactures have long 
ceased ; and at present malting and the 
corn trade form the principal business, 
which has been much facilitated by the 
canal. The market is on Wednesday, 
and the fairs on Easter Tuesday, Wed- 
nesday in Whitsun week, 23rd of Sep- 
tember, and 10th of October; all, ex- 
cept the second, are chiefly fairs for 
cattle. The number of houses in the 
town, according to the returns of 1831, 
was 727 ; and the population consisted 
of 3581 persons, of whom 1863 were 
females. The town was incorporated 
at an early date, and is at present 
governed by a mayor, four aldermen, 
and twelve councillors. The petty ses- 
sions are held here. Basingstoke pos- 
sesses a free school of some repute, and 
three charity schools, one of which, 
for the maintenance, clothing, and 
education of twelve boys, is supported 
by the Skinners' Company of London. 
John de Basingstoke, a distinguished 
scholar of the thirteenth century, was 
born at Basingstoke. He was, indeed, 
an extraordinary person for his time. 
Though the date of his birth does not 
appear to be fixed, he was alive in 
the year 1230, and studied not only at 
Oxford and Paris, after the custom of 



58 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



the age, but also at Athens ; a fact re- 
marked by Leland as uncommon in the 
history of English scholars at that time, 
who seldom proceeded farther eastward 
for the prosecution of their studies, and 
improvement in learning, than Rome 
or Venice. At Athens he studied the 
sciences under Constantina, daughter of 
the Archbishop of Athens. Leland says, 
at his return he brought with him into 
England various Greek manuscripts, 
which, together with his proficiency in 
that tongue, caused Hugh Grosseteste, 
Bishop of Lincoln, a great restorer of 
that language, to promote him to the 
archdeaconry of Leicester. It was upon 
Basing's information, as Matthew Paris 
tells us, that Grosseteste sent to Athens 
for a Greek manuscript entitled * The 
Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs/ 
which, when obtained, he translated 
into Latin. Sir James Lancaster, the 
navigator, and the brothers Joseph and 
Thomas Warton, were also born at 
Basingstoke. The former of the War- 
tons (born 1722, died 1800) is known 
by his ' Essays on the Writings and 
Genius of Pope ;' and Thomas Warton 
(born 1728, died 1790) was poet laure- 
ate, and wrote * The History of English 
Poetry :' both were distinguished for 
their learning and classical attain- 
ments. Their father was vicar of Ba- 
singstoke, and was master of the free 
school, at which Gilbert White and 
several other well-known persons were 
educated. 

The small village of Old Basing is 
about a mile east of Basingstoke, near 
the line of the railway. It has been 



distinguished from an early period of 
our history, as the scene of a severe 
battle fought in 871 between the Danes 
and the Saxons, when the latter, under 
the command of Alfred and his brother 
King Ethelred, were defeated ; and in 
later times it has become no less memo- 
rable for the gallant defence of Basing 
House. 

There appears to have been a castle 
here at a very remote period ; for in a 
grant made to the priory of Monks' 
Sherbourne, in the reign of Henry II., 
mention is made of the " old castle of 
Basing." This appears to have been 
rebuilt in a magnificent manner by 
Paulet, the first Marquis of Winches- 
ter, a nobleman in some degree re- 
markable for his skill in courtiership : 
. he lived during four reigns, those of 
Henry VIII., Edward VI., Queen Mary, 
and Queen Elizabeth, and enjoyed the 
royal favour in all. We may add, that 
he himself is said to have explained the 
secret— the " being a willow and not an 
oak." We have said that he rebuilt 
Basing House in a magnificent man- 
ner; according to Camden, it was ren- 
dered so magnificent and costly as to 
be " overpowered by its own weight ;" 
the expenses it entailed upon the 
owner were so great, that the build- 
er's posterity were forced to pull down 
some part of it. In this splendid man- 
sion the marquis had the gratification 
of receiving Elizabeth in 1560, and of 
entertaining her in so royal a manner 
that she playfully lamented his great 
age, remarking, " By my troth, if my 
lord treasurer were but a young man, I 



OLD BASING. 



59 



could find in ray heart to love him for a 
husband before any man in England." 
The queen came here again in 1601, 
and was entertained by the fourth mar- 
quis for " thirteen dayes," and, as we 
are told and can very well believe, " to 
the greate charge of the sayde Lorde 
Marquesse," for during her visit Eliza- 
beth received in state the French am- 
bassador, the Duke of Biron, who was 
accompanied with about twenty other 
French noblemen, and a retinue of 
some 400 persons. It is recorded that 
the Queen made this circumstance a 
matter of gratulation, saying, " she had 
done that in Hampshire that none of 
her ancestors ever did, neither that any 
prince in Christendom could do ; that 
was, she had, in her progresses, in her 
subjects' houses, entertained a royal 
ambassador, and had royally enter- 
tained him.'* 

In August, 1643, Basing House, 
then very strongly fortified by John, 
fifth marquis, for the king, was invested 
by the parliamentary troops, and for a 
period of two years, broken however by 
occasional intermissions, was continu- 
ally harassed by the enemy. During 
this time many assaults were made, 
particularly by Sir William Waller, 
who within nine days three times at- 
tempted to carry the house, but was 
repelled with great loss, and ultimately 
obliged to retreat. On their part, too, 
the besieged troops kept the besiegers 
in a constant state of anxiety and alarm 
by repeated sallies. After Waller's de- 
feat the parliamentary forces of Hamp- 
shire and Sussex were collected under 



Colonel Norton, who once more sum- 
moned the marquis to surrender. The 
answer was, " If the king had no more 
ground in England than Basing House, 
he would maintain it to the uttermost/ ' 
Famine now promised to accomplish for 
the parliament what its soldiers could 
not ; the distress of the garrison became 
so great that in September, 1644, the 
marquis, after having in vain sent mes- 
senger after messenger to Charles, w r ho 
w r as at Oxford, for relief, was compelled 
to send a last notice that in ten days he 
must surrender if no assistance were 
given. For the time, how 7 ever, the 
brave defenders of Basing House were 
saved by the courage and address of 
Colonel Gage, who, seeing their despe- 
rate condition, volunteered to convey 
them provisions. He succeeded in ac- 
complishing this object, and in return- 
ing to Oxford, with the loss of eleven 
men killed and forty or fifty wounded. 
This protracted defence would naturally 
draw the eyes of the nation upon the 
struggle, and make it imperative upon 
the parliamentarians to succeed. Ac- 
cordingly the attack was next confided 
to the man who knew not defeat; Crom- 
well appeared before it, and the fate of 
the place was sealed. His force con- 
sisted of three regiments of foot and 
three regiments of horse ; the garrison, 
according to Sir Robert Peake (its go- 
vernor, under the marquis), of 300 
fighting men, but according to his an- 
tagonists of about 500. The house was 
also defended by about ten pieces of 
ordnance. The result is best told in 
Cromwell's own brief, business-like let- 



60 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



ter to the Speaker of the House of Com- 
mons, dated 1 4th of October, 1645 : — 

u Sir, — I thank God I can give you a 
good account of Basing. After our bat- 
teries placed, we settled the several posts 
for a storm : Col. Dalbeere was to be on the 
north side of the house next the grange, 
Col. Pickering on his left hand, and Sir 
Hardresse Waller's and Col. Montague's 
regiments next him. We stormed this 
morning after six of the clock: the signal 
for falling on was the firing from our cannon, 
which being done, our men fell on with great 
resolution and cheerfulness. We took the 
two houses without any considerable loss to 
ourselves. Col. Pickering stormed the new 
house, passed through and got the gate of 
the old house, whereupon they summoned a 
parley, which our men would not hear. In 
the mean time Col. Montague's and Sir 
Hardresse Waller's regiments assaulted the 
strongest work, where the enemy kept his 
court of guard, which, with great resolution, 
they recovered, beating the enemy from a 
whole culverin and from that work ; which 
having done 5 they drew their ladders after 
them, got over another work and the house 
wall before they could enter. In this, Sir 
Hardresse Waller, performing his duty with 
honour and diligence, was shot in the arm, 
but not dangerously. We have had little 
loss: many of the enemies our men put to 
the sword, and some officers of quality : 
most of the rest we have prisoners, amongst 
which are the Marquis and Sir Robert Peake, 
with divers other officers, whom I have or- 
dered to be sent up to you. We have taken 
about ten pieces of ordnance, much ammu- 
nition, and our soldiers a good encourage- 
ment," &c. 

The booty, thus delicately phrased, 
was indeed considerable, being valued 



at 200,000/. It consisted of money, 
jewels, provisions, the magnificent fur- 
niture, and, in a word, the entire con- 
tents of Basing House. The provisions 
and furniture were sold to the country- 
people. What the soldiers left a fire 
destroyed, caused by the neglect of the 
garrison in quenching a fire-ball thrown 
by the besiegers. In less than twenty 
hours, Basing House literally presented 
nothing but bare walls and chimneys. 
The prisoners were about two hundred 
in number, and the slain about one hun- 
dred : of these there were counted in 
the house immediately after the assault 
seventy-four men and one woman, a 
young lady, the daughter of Dr. Grif- 
fith, whose fate is very pitiable : •' she 
came," says Mr. Peters, Cromwell's 
messenger to the parliament, " railing 
against our soldiers for their rough car- 
riage towards her father," whom he ac- 
knowledges they used hardly, on account 
of his opinions and past conduct. Her 
two sisters, and six or seven other ladies 
of rank, appear to have been permitted 
to escape without any serious injury 
The Marquis himself would in all pro- 
bability have fallen a victim to the rage 
of the soldiers but for an incident of a 
nature which it is especially gratifying 
to meet with in such transactions. The 
week before, Col. Hammond, the par- 
liamentary officer, had been taken pri- 
soner by the Marquis : when the assault 
of the house was evidently successful, 
and all hope leaving the besieged, they 
began to hide themselves where they 
could from the fury of their enemies ; 
at that moment the Colonel was re- 



BASING-HOUSE. 



61 



■,'g iii 







M Am 



SB I 

It * 



!C4 






62 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



lieved from his imprisonment, and, in 
accordance with a promise he had pre- 
viously given, endeavoured to save the 
Marquis's life ; and although it was at 
the imminent hazard of his own, he 
happily succeeded. Many of the garrison 
probably escaped, and others miserably 
perished in the vaults of the house. 
Mr. Peters says, " Riding to the house 
on Tuesday night, we heard divers cry- 
ing in vaults for quarter; but our men 
could neither come to them nor they to 
us." 

In the concluding portion of the let- 
ter from which we have before quoted, 
Cromwell recommends the destruction 
of Basing House, and the parliament 
concurred in his recommendation. From 
a survey made of the spot in 1798, it 
appears that the area of the works, in- 
cluding gardens and entrenchments, 
occupied about 14J acres. The form 
of the fortifications was very irregular, 
surrounded with deep ditches and strong 
and high ramparts ; the existing re- 
mains were peculiarly bold and striking 
The citadel was circular, having an ob- 
long square platform on the north, de- 
fended by a rampart and covered-way. 
The north gateway was still standing, 
together with parts of the outward wall, 
constructed of brick, joined with great 
care and nicety. The site of the ruins 
is bold and commanding. The Basing- 
stoke Canal now runs through it. 

The Marquis lived long enough to 
taste the bitterness of ingratitude : the 
Restoration came, but brought him no 
recompense for his immense losses ; the 
exertions, the anxieties, the gallantry, 



and the fortitude which entitled the 
Marquis to our respect and admiration, 
produced no acknowledgment, at least 
no fitting or worthy one, from the son 
of the man for whom so much was done 
and suffered. 

Two miles from the village of Old 
Basing is the Vine, a mansion said to 
be so called from the first Lord Sandes, 
who built the house, having planted 
vines here for the shade which they 
afford. The chapel contains some cu- 
riously carved stalls, and an altar-tomb 
to the memory of Chaloner Chute, Esq., 
who was Speaker of the House of Com- 
mons : he is represented in his robes as 
Speaker. The windows of the chapel 
are pointed, and exhibit figures of the 
first Lord Sandes and his two wives. 

Before proceeding further along the 
western road we will notice the roads 
north and south of Basingstoke. There 
is a road communicating with Berk- 
shire, which diverges into two branches 
for a distance of about eight miles, but 
they again unite just after passing out 
of the county. About five miles from 
Basingstoke, on the western branch of 
the above road, there is a cross-road 
leading to Kingsclere, distant about 
three miles. 

Kingsclere is a small market-town, 
of rather mean appearance, near the 
northern boundary of the county, ten 
miles north-west of the Basingstoke 
station : it is not upon any great tho- 
roughfare from London, from which it 
is distant about fifty-five miles through 
Basingstoke. There are roads from 
Newbury, distant seven miles, and from 



HACKWOOD PARK. 



63 



Reading, distant seventeen miles, which 
form a junction at Kingsclere before 
joining the great western road. The 
parish of Kingsclere is large, containing 
17,240 acres, and had in 1831 a popu- 
lation of 3151, three-fourths agricultu- 
ral : the parish extends into the hun- 
dred of Evingar. There is some trade 
in malt carried on : the market is on 
Tuesday, and there are two fairs in the 
year. The living is a vicarage, with 
the chapelries of Ecchinwell and Sid- 
monton annexed, in the diocese and 
archdeaconry of Winchester, of the 
yearly value of 400Z. At Kingsclere 
was anciently a residence of the West 
Saxon kings, and there was a royal 
residence in the neighbourhood as late 
as the time of King John. 

On the border of the county, between 
Strathfieldsay and the road from Ba- 
singstoke to Reading is Silchester, 
where there was once a Roman station : 
it lies north by "east from the railway 
station at Basingstoke. 

The road to Alton, distant about 1 1 
miles from Basingstoke, connects the 
latter town with the London and Gos 
port road : it passes through Winslade, 
Herriarde and Lassham. 

Hackwood Park, the seat of Lord 
Bolton, is close to this road, and about a 
mile from Basingstoke. The site of the 
present mansion was occupied in the 
time of Queen Elizabeth by a lodge, 
used as a place of meeting and banquet- 
ing by ha wking parties, who found in 
this neighbourhood peculiar facilities 
for the enjoyment of their sport, in 
consequence of which the spot became 



known as the Hawking Wood — since 
corrupted into Hackwood. After the 
demolition of Basing House, the Mar- 
quis of Winchester adapted the lodge 
for a residence. The present edifice 
was principally built about 1688, 
(which date appears in various parts 
of it) by the Duke of Bolton, the son 
of the distinguished nobleman we 
have mentioned. The house at that 
time consisted of a large central build- 
ing, connected with two considerable 
wings by open corridors. The great 
hall extended without interruption from 
the ground floor to the roof; in a subse- 
quent alteration this immense height 
was reduced to 20 feet, and the hall 
enriched by some oak carvings by Gib- 
bons, brought from another seat belong- 
ing to the family. The late Lord Bolton 
erected a new front on the north, with 
a handsome portico, and which he con- 
nected with the old wings in a very 
graceful and useful manner. Opposite 
the entrance of this front is an eques- 
trian statue of George I., given by that 
monarch to the Duke of Bolton. Among 
the pictures are some interesting por- 
traits : for instance, a whole-length of 
the gallant defender of Basing House, 
and of his second wife who aided him on 
that occasion, and wrote a journal of the 
proceedings. We may also mention the 
portrait of Charles, the third earl, who 
married Miss Fenton, the original repre- 
sentative of Polly in the * Beggars 
Opera.' The park and pleasure-grounds 
are very interesting. Among the chief 
attractions we may enumerate the fol- 
lowing :— Spring Wood is a noble col- 



64 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



lection of the finest forest trees, on which 
ivy has been allowed to grow so long 
undisturbed that it has reached the 
highest branches, and is now seen hang- 
ing in thick loose chains of rich foliage, 
which give to the whole a peculiarly 
beautiful effect both in winter and sum- 
mer. In another part of the park we 
find everything so disposed as to give the 
idea of a rich but neglected wilderness, 
wherein a space of about four acres 
assumes the form of an ancient amphi- 
theatre, bounded by a wall of elms 
thickly planted and inclining inwards 
over the area. The stage is a flat lawn 
at the lower end, from which rise seats 
of turf, in successive stories,, divided in 
the centre by a broad passage extending 
from the bottom to the top, where we 
find a circular recess with the ruins of a 
rotunda. There are also two ornamental 
buildings in the grounds deserving men- 
tion—one with a handsome front of the 
Doric order, an open colonnade in the 
centre, and which is connected with a 
fine sheet of water, and the other situ- 
ated in what is called the French garden, 
with four fronts and a central dome, 
built in a heavy style of architecture. 
This has within a spacious apartment, 
stuccoed, and paved with marble, and 
commanding from the windows, which 
are decorated with beautiful flowering 
shrubs and double blossoming fruit 
trees, some fine park views. This v is 
said to have been the favourite music- 
room of the actress-duchess. The whole 
of the pleasure-grounds and adjoining 
parts of the park are supposed to have 
been formerly one large wood, and con- 



nected by avenues of chesnut-trees, two 
miles long, with Basing House. 

The distance from Basingstoke to 
Winchester is 1 1\ miles : the road passes 
through Popham, East Stratton and 
Worthy : at Popham Lane there is a 
branch road to Salisbury through Stock- 
bridge, the latter place being 21 miles 
from Basingstoke. 

The Andover Road Station, on the 
South-western Railway, 10 miles from 
the Basingstoke station, and 8 miles 
from that at Winchester, is about half a 
mile west of the present road. This 
station affords the readiest mode of 
access to that part of Hampshire which 
lies immediately to the west and south- 
west, and to such places as are situated 
in the vicinity of the station. It is also 
the nearest point of communication be- 
tween the railway and Bland ford, Hin- 
don, Salisbury, Shaftesbury, Sturmin- 
ster, Wilton, and with the county of 
Wilts generally. 

Stratton Park, the seat of Sir 
Thomas Baring, Bart, lies by the side 
of the high road, at a spot distant about 
7j miles from Basingstoke. Its beauty 
of situation is so remarkable that 
Francis, the fifth Earl of Bedford, to 
whom the estate then belonged, pulled 
down a great part of the mansion, 
leaving only a single wing standing, in 
order that its attractions might not in- 
duce his successors to neglect the mag- 
nificent residence of Woburn, which he 
had built. On purchasing it from the 
Bedford family, the late Sir Francis 
Baring, whom Erskine designated as 
" the first merchant of the world," re- 



ANDOVER ROAD STATION. 



65 



built the house, and made great im- 
provements in the grounds. The exterior 
is in the Italian style—- pleasing and 
elegant, and the interior combines com- 
fort with magnificence to an extent 
unsurpassed in any part of the country. 
In the park is a long avenue consisting 
of the very finest old trees. The chief 
attraction of the mansion however is the 
collection of paintings, which is very nu- 
merous, contains many works of great 
value, and is on the whole unusually 
complete. The gem of the collection 
however has gone, — this was a Holy 
Family by Raphael, which cost Sir 
Thomas 4000/., and which he was in- 
duced to part with to the King of Bava- 
ria for 5000/. There is still an original 
work by that artist, a portrait of a young 
man, supposed to be Lorenzo de Medici. 
Among the more valuable and interest- 
ing of the pictures we may enumerate 
those of the Roman school, by Vasari, 
Raphael, and Giulio Romano; of the 
Venetian, — Giovanni Bellini, Giorgione, 
Titian,Giacorao Bassano, Paul Veronese; 
of the Lombard school, — Correggio, Par- 
magiano, Schidone ; of the Carracci 
school, — Ludovico and A nnibale Carrac- 
ci, Domenichino, Guido Reni, Guercino, 
Carlo Dolce ; of the Spanish, — Morales, 
Velasquez, Murillo (no less than five of 
this master) ; of the French, — N. & G. 
Poussin ; of the Flemish— Jan Van Eyck, 
Rubens, Vandvck, Rembrandt ; of the 
English, — Opie, Northcote, Reynolds, 
&c. Among the pictures by artists, not 
included in the above classification, are 
those by Michael Angelo Caravaggio, 
Spagnoletto, Claude Lorraine, and Sal- 



vator Rosa. Even this bare and brief 
notice will give some idea of the great 
richness of the collection, and particu- 
larly when we add that the cases are 
few in which there is not more than one 
fine specimen of the same artist. 

There is one circumstance connected 
with the history of Stratton that must 
not be overlooked : it came into the pos- 
session of the Bedford family after the 
death of its previous owner, Thomas Earl 
of Southampton and Lord High Trea- 
surer of England, by the marriage of his 
daughter to the illustrious patriot, Lord 
William Russell ; who proved by her 
conduct under her husband's misfortunes 
that she was in every way worthy of 
him : higher praise it would be perhaps 
impossible to pay to her memory. 

About two miles from Stratton is 
Grange Park, the seat of Lord Ash- 
burton. It is situated about 2 miles 
from the road, near the village of North- 
ington, and about 5 miles from Win- 
chester. The house was originally built 
by Inigo Jones, and Lord Orford men- 
tions it as one of the best proofs of the 
architect's taste. In the present century 
it has been enlarged and the exterior 
wholly changed, under the direction of 
the late Mr. Wilkins. The elevation of 
the present front is striking ; its princi- 
pal feature is a grand portico, the style 
of which is borrowed from the Parthenon 
at Athens. In accordance with the 
model the massive columns are fluted, 
and they rest upon the bases without 
any intermediate plinth. The exterior 
consisted of five stories before the alter 
ation ; the uppermost being in a pon- 



66 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMP3HIRE. 



derousroof of greatelevation. The lowest, 
which was used for offices, is now dis- 
used ; the terrace, which has been raised 
around the house, conceals the basement 
Moor, and the roof has been entirely 
taken away, consequently the mansion 
now appears to be only two stories in 
height. The alterations in the interior 
were made chietiy with the object of 
giving a more modern character to the 
rooms. The situation of the house 
being low, the views from it are not very 
extensive ; but the pleasure-grounds, 
which are various and beautiful, 
partly compensate for the deficiency. 
The family of Henley, which possessed 
this estate for nearly two centuries, was 
of considerable note. Robert Henley 
was knighted and appointed attorney- 
general in 1756, and keeper of the 
great seal in the following year. In 
1760 he was created Baron Henley of 
Grange, in the county of Southampton ; 
in 1761 Lord Chancellor, and, in 1764, 
was raised to the dignity of the earldom 
of Northington in the same county. 
This nobleman presided as high steward 
at the trial of Earl Ferrers. The family 
is now extinct. 

The road to Preston Candover, 10 
miles from Basingstoke, passes through 
Cliddesden and Nutley ; and at Preston 
Candover it is connected with several 
important country roads. 

Resuming our journey westward, we 
meet with no place of importance until 
we reach Whitchurch, 11^ miles from 
Basingstoke. 

Whitchurch, 56 or 57 miles from 
London, is situated on the great western 



road, near the head of the river Anton, 
midway between Basingstoke and An- 
dover: it is 12 miles from the Basing- 
stoke station. The distance of the 
Andover-Road station, between Basing- 
stoke and Winchester, is nearly one- 
half less, but the road from this point to 
Whitchurch is by the parish roads. 
The traveller who wishes to visit Whit- 
church and the neighbourhood may 
leave the Railway at either station ; but 
the facilities for reaching Whitchurch 
from Basingstoke are by far the most 
extensive. In 1840, an Act was ob- 
tained for improving certain roads west 
of this station. 

Whitchurch is a borough and market 
town. The parish comprehends 7330 
acres, with a population in 1831 of 1673, 
about half agricultural. Shalloons and 
.serges are manufactured ; also paper 
for the exclusive use of the Bank of 
England. The market-day is Friday. 
Whitchurch is a borough by prescrip- 
tion, and returned two members to 
parliament until disfranchised by the 
Reform Act. The living is a rectory, 
in the peculiar jurisdiction of the 
bishop of Winchester, of the yearly 
value of 140/. There were in 1833 
seven day or boarding and day-schools, 
with above 230 children, and three 
Sunday-schools with above 300 chil- 
dren 

The road from Winchester to New- 
bury and Reading crosses the great 
western road at Whitchurch. The road 
to Reading, which place is about 1 7 miles 
from Whitchurch, branches off to the 
east about a mile north of the latter town, 



WHITCHURCH TO BURGCLERE. 



67 



and, after crossing the Roman road, 
passes through Kingsclere, already de- 
scribed. 

The road from Whitchurch to New- 
bury proceeds in a direction due north, 
through Litchfield and Burgclere: 
Newbury is 13 miles from Whitchurch. 

Burgclere, a small village at the 
foot of the Highclere and Kingsclere 
Hills, is between 7 and 8 miles north of 
Whitchurch. " From these hills you 
look at one view over the whole of Berk- 
shire, into Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, 
and Wiltshire, and you can see the Isle 
of Wight and the sea. On the north side 
the chalk soon ceases, the sand and clay 
begin, and the oak woods cover a great 
part of the surface."* Few men had 
a more lively idea of scenes of rural life 
and domestic comfort than Mr. Cobbett, 
and the features which characterise the 
North Hampshire hills were such as 
particularly delighted him, " where high 
downs prevail, with here and there a 
large wood on the top or side of a hill, and 
where you see in the deep dells, here 
and there a farm-house, and here and 
there a village, the buildings sheltered 
by a group of lofty trees. I like (he 
says) to look at the winding side of a 
great down, with two or three nume- 
rous flocks of sheep upon it belonging 
to different farms ; and to see, lower 
down, the folds, in the field, ready to 
receive them for the night." The cha- 
racter of the country from Winchester 
to within two miles of Burgclere is 
such as is here described. 

* • Rural Rides.' 



On the left of the road and between 
it and the road from Andover to New- 
bury is Highclere House, the seat 
of the Earl of Carnarvon : it is situated 
on a rising ground, in a noble park up- 
wards of 13 miles in circumference. 
The Bishops of Winchester formerly 
possessed the manor, and had a resi- 
dence here. Some of the public acts of 
William of Wykeham are dated at High- 
clere. In the reign of Edward VI. 
the estate was granted to the king, 
who re- granted it some time afterwards 
to Sir William Fitz-William. It was pur- 
chased from his successors by Sir Robert 
Sawyer, attorney-general to Charles II. 
and James II., and thence passed by 
marriage into the Pembroke family. 
Part of the present house was built upon 
the site of an older one, by the Hon. 
Robert Herbert ; but its great enlarge- 
ment, and the form it at present bears, 
it owes to the first Earl of Carnarvon, 
who died in 1811. The building is of 
brick, stuccoed, and is in the modern 
style of architecture. The entrance-hall 
measures 70 feet by 24, the library 33 
by 23. There are a few good pictures 
by Vandyck, Reynolds, Gainsborough, 
&c. But the chief glory of Highclere 
is its park and pleasure-grounds. In 
the former, about a mile from the house, 
is Sidon Hill, which is 400 feet above 
the level of the ground. It is ascended 
by a winding road lined with plantations, 
and on the top we find a ruined arch 
and a grove of venerable trees. The 
views of the surrounding country from 
hence are most extensive and delight- 
ful. , Beacon Hill, to the south-east of 
F 2 



68 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



Sidon Hill, presents a very different 
aspect, being completely destitute of 
foliage. An attraction of another kind, 
however, leads us to its summit, where 
we find an ancient encampment of ir- 
regular form, following the outline of 
the hill. The ditch is well preserved, 
and, where the ascent is easy, very 
deep. The entrance is on the south 
side, and defended by two ravelins. 
Within the enclosed area are vestiges 
of ancient huts, the origin of which may 
probably be coeval with the Britons ; for 
they are of a circular form, rather ele- 
vated, with a small depression in the 
centre. Upon a ridge to the north is a 
raised bank of turf, apparently intended 
as an outpost. On a plain about a mile 
from the hill are seven large tumuli, and 
three small. Some of each kind have 
been opened, and ashes, &c. found as 
usual. The largest is no less than 100 
yards in circumference, and about 10 
or twelve feet high. About a mile and 
a half from Beacon Hill is another 
encampment, on an eminence called 
Ladle Hill, which includes an area of 
nearly eight acres ; and at a short dis- 
tance to the north-east, on the declivity 
of the hill, is another small circular 
earthwork, intended, doubtless, as an 
outpost to the first. There are three 
barrows south of this large camp. The 
entrance into the park lies between 
Sidon Hill and Beacon Hill, and is 
spanned by an arched gateway. On 
the side of Sidon Hill is a small cas- 
tellated lodge. The park possesses a 
beautiful sheet of water called Milford 
Water, the effect of which is greatl 



enhanced by the foliage of the venerable 
woods which completely surround it. 
There are various other ornamental 
buildings scattered about the demesne. 

The road from Whitchurch to Win- 
chester, a distance of 13 miles, is by a 
continuation of the roads from Reading 
and Newbury, which unite on the 
northern side of the western road, before 
entering Whitchurch. This road passes 
through Bullington and Wonsfort. 

The continuation of the great west- 
ern road from Whitchurch to Andover, 
a distance of 7 miles, is through Hurst- 
bourne Priors. 

Andover is 63 or 64 miles from Lon- 
don, by the Great Western Road. It 
is about 11 miles west of the station 
called the Andover Road Station, and 18 
miles from the station at Basingstoke. 
'The traveller, wishing to proceed to 
Andover, will therefore have to decide 
whether he will leave the line at Basing- 
stoke and travel on a great highway a 
distance of 18 miles, or proceed 9 miles 
further by the railway and travel 1 1 
miles by cross-roads. 

The town is situated on the border 
of the downs which stretch into Wilt- 
shire. It is on the left bank of the 
river Anton (a branch of the Tese or 
Test, which falls into Southampton 
Water), and from its situation, gets the 
name of Andover (Saxon, Andeafa- 
ran, ?. e. ferry, or passage over the 
river Ande). 

The three principal streets are well 
paved, but not lighted; the houses are 
well built, and the town is well supplied 
with water. The church is near the north 



ANDOVER. 



end of it, and is a spacious structure, of 
very great antiquity, having existed as 
far back as the time of the Conqueror. 
At the west end is a fine semicircular 
arched doorway, with zigzag mould- 
ings. The living, a vicarage, with the 
chapelry of Foxcote annexed, is in the 
patronage of Winchester College. There 
are meeting-houses for Baptists, Quak- 
ers, Independents, and Methodists ; a 
free grammar school, with a school- 
house built and kept in repair by the 
corporation ; and an almshouse for six 
poor men, erected and endowed by John 
Pollen, Esq., one of the members for 
the borough in the time of William III. 
Another almshouse, for six poor women, 
was built with funds bequeathed by 
Catherine Hanson, but not endowed. 
There is also a school-house, erected 
and endowed by John Pollen, Esq., for 
educating twenty poor children. This 
establishment is now incorporated with 
the National School, supported by addi- 
tional subscriptions, in which 250 child- 
ren are educated. 

The town-hall is a handsome stone 
building with a Grecian front, supported 
by arches : the under part is used as a 
market -house. It was erected within 
these few years. The corporation is 
said to be as ancient as the time of 
John ; but the present charter was 
granted by Queen Elizabeth. 

Andover first returned members to 
Parliament in the time of Edward I. ; 
but the right was lost, or disused, from 
the first year of Edward II. to the 
twenty-seventh year of Queen Elizabeth, 
when they were again sent, and have 



since been regularly returned. Before 
the passing of the Reform Bill, the 
right of election was in the corporation, 
which was considered to be under the 
intiuenee of the Earl of Portsmouth. 
By the Boundary Act connected with 
the Reform Bill, the tything of Foxcote 
was added to the borough, which had 
previously included the parishes of 
Andover and Knight's Enham. The 
population of the whole was, in 1839, 
4966. The town is governed by a bailiff, 
four aldermen, and twelve councillors ; 
the style of the corporate body is the 
bailiff, approved men and burgesses of 
the borough of Andover. 

The chief business of the town con- 
sists in malting, and in the manufac- 
ture of silk, which has lately superseded 
that of shalloon, the former staple. A 
considerable quantity of timber is for- 
warded from Harewood Forest to Ports- 
mouth, by means of tlie canal from this 
town, through Stockbridge, to South- 
ampton Water. The market is on 
Saturday ; and there are three fairs in 
the year. 

Near Andover there are the remains 
of some Roman encampments, espe- 
cially one on the summit of Bury Hill, 
a mile or two south-west of the town ; 
and some beautiful specimens of Roman 
pavement have been found in the neigh- 
bourhood. (Warner's Hampshire; 
Beauties of England and Wales.) 

Amport House, the seat of the Mar- 
quis of Winchester, derives its name 
from a village near Andover, southward 
of the western road, formerly called 
Anneport. The mansion is situated on 



70 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



a gently rising ground, and on the bor- 
ders of a well-wooded and extensive 
park, and presents altogether an effect 
that excites the admiration of every vi- 
sitor. The projecting wings of the edi- 
fice are connected by a corridor, built 
in the Ionic style, and used as a con- 
servatory of the choicest plants. The 
apartments in the interior are elegant 
and of good proportion. The lawn and 
pleasure-grounds, which extend in front 
of the house, are separated from the valley 
beyond by a sunken fence. Crossing 
the valley, and ascending the opposite 
steep, we command a fine extensive 
prospect of the surrounding country. A 
branch of the ancient and noble family 
of Paulet has long been resident here. 

There is a road from Andover to 
Newbury which passes through Knight's 
Enham, King's Enham, and Hurst- 
bourne Tarrant to Highclere, about 11 
miles from Andover: Newbury is 6 
miles from Highclere. 

On the right of this road, between 7 
and 8 miles from Andover, is the village 
of Hurstbourne Tarrant, near which 
is Hurstbourne Park, the seat of the 
Earl of Portsmouth. It is situated about a 
mile westward' on elevated ground, com- 
manding fine prospects to the north, and 
south from Winchester. The mansion 
consists of a centre, and two uniform 
wings, connected with it by colonnades. 
The eastern wing contains a large li- 
brary and chapel, the western is princi- 
pally occupied by the offices, servants' 
apartments, &c, whilst the centre, con- 
stituting the general family residence, 
has some noble apartments. The edifice 



was erected from the design of "Wyatt. 
From the south (which is the principal) 
front, the ground gradually slopes to a 
fine sheet of water, which winds through 
a delightful park, well wooded, and 
abounding with deer. 

The country around Hurstbourne 
consists of extensive downs. Mr. Cob- 
bett remarks — " This country, though 
so open, has its beauties. The home- 
steads in the sheltered bottoms, with 
fine lofty trees about the houses and 
yards, form a beautiful contrast with 
the large open fields. The little vil- 
lages, running straggling along the 
dells (always with lofty trees and rook- 
eries), are very interesting objects even 
in the winter ; you feel a sort of satis- 
faction when you are out upon the bleak 
hills yourself at the thought of the 
. shelter which is experienced in the 
dwellings in the valleys.'' 

The road from Newbury to Andover 
divides into two branches at the latter 
town, one proceeding to Salisbury and 
the other to Winchester. The road 
from Andover to Winchester, a distance 
of about 14 miles, passes through Wher- 
well and over Barton Stacey Down. 

At Wherwell, 4 miles from Ando- 
ver, a nunnery was founded by Elfrida 
about 986, as an atonement for the 
murder of her first husband, Athelwold, 
and of her step-son King Edward the 
Martyr. The accession of Edward had 
been opposed by a faction, at the head 
of whom was Elfrida, who maintained 
the right of her own son to the vacant 
throne, but Edward was formally ac- 
cepted as king by the Witenagemote. 



ANDOVER TO WEYHILL. 



71 



This however did not extinguish the 
ambitious hopes of his mother-in-law ; 
and while Edward was hunting one day, 
he stopped at the gate of her residence, 
Corfe Castle, in Dorsetshire, when he 
was stabbed by an assassin in the back 
as he sat on horseback drinking a cup 
of mead. Elfrida spent the close of her 
infamous life in this nunnery, and was 
buried within its walls. 

The country from Hurstbourne Tar- 
rant to Wherwell is a bed of chalk co- 
vered with a thin soil. 

There is a road from Andover to 
Amesbury, in Wiltshire, which enters 
the latter county about ten miles from 
Andover. 

About 3 miles from Andover, on this 
road, is the village ofWEYHiLL, where one 
of the largest fairs in England is held. 
This fair begins on the 10th of October, 
and continues for six days. It is thus 
described in * Magna Britannia Hi- 
bernia? a survey of Great Britain, pub- 
lished in 1720: — "This fair is reckoned 
to be as great an one as any in England, 
for many commodities, and for sheep 
indisputably the biggest, the farmers 
coming out of the south, north, and east 
to buy the Dorsetshire ewes here. It 
is also a great hop and cheese fair, the 
former being brought out of Sussex and 
Kent, and the latter out of Wiltshire, 
Gloucestershire, and Somersetshire." 
The above account of the chief articles 
of trade will apply with little alteration 
to the present day. The sale of sheep, 
though the favourite breed may be dif- 
ferent, is still great ; more than 140,000 
have been sold on the first day. The 



Farnham hops, the choicest of any grown 
in England, are chiefly sold here, and 
a place appropriated to their sale bears 
the name of Farnham Row. Many 
horses, particularly cart colts, are also 
sold. During this fair assemblies are 
held in the town-hall at Andover. 

The great road from Andover to Salis- 
bury passes out of the county at Lob- 
combe Corner, about 10 miles from 
Andover and 8 from Salisbury. This 
road crosses the beautiful valley which 
winds between the hills to Stock bridge, 
after which it rises upon the downs, 
which form the commencement of the 
tract called Salisbury Plain. Between 
Andover and the verge of the county 
are several remains of camps and earth- 
works. 

Danebury hill is along elevated ridge 
running nearly E. and W. and termi- 
nating abruptly at a point or head: at 
that spot is found an ancient circular 
intrenchment in good preservation, and 
which is known by the name of Dane- 
bury Camp. It encloses an extensive 
area. The entrance is by a winding 
course protected by great banks. The 
rampart of the area is very high, and 
protected on the outside by a single 
ditch on the north and south sides where 
the descent is abrupt, and by a double 
one elsewhere. On the W. and N.W. 
of this camp are several barrows ; one 
of them about a mile distant bears the 
name of Canute's Barrow. 

About five miles from Danebury, in a 
north-western direction, is another con- 
siderable camp, which occupies the sum- 
mit of Quarley Mount, an eminence to 



72 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



the south of the road. This is supposed 
to have been the opposing camp to that 
of Danebury, or in other words, that 
the two camps were erected at the same 
period and by hostile forces. On the 
south side the works are quadruple ; 
there is a space of sixty paces between 
the two outer lines, and of thirty-six 
between the others. The eastern side 



is ploughed up; the others measure 
respectively 210, 240, and 290 paces. 
Over the downs in the vicinity are scat- 
tered various tumuli. There are also 
the remains of Roman camps at Otte- 
bury, about six miles from Andover ; 
and at Frippsbury, about five miles 
from Ottebury. 



73 



CHAPTER VII. 



THE WINCHESTER STATION. 



The Winchester station is 64 miles 
from the London terminus of the South- 
western Railway, and 12$ from the 
terminus at Southampton. The high 
road from London to Southampton and 
Poole passes through Winchester, and 
it is about 12 miles south of the great 
thoroughfare from the metropolis to the 
south-western counties. Being, how- 
ever, nearly in the centre of the county, 
many important county roads form a 
junction at Winchester. The distance 
from London, by the London and South- 
ampton road, is 62j miles. Besides the 
railway, the traveller who starts from the 
metropolis has the choice of two roads, 
namely, the road which branches from 
the great western road at Basingstoke, 
and the one which branches from 
the London and Gosport road near 
Alton. 

The origin of the city of Winches- 
ter lies concealed in the farthest depths 
of our British antiquities. Tradition, 
and the evidence of our oldest histori- 
cal monuments, concur with the proba- 
bility afforded by the situation of the 
place in making it out as having been 
one of the earliest settlements of the 
first inhabitants of the island. In this 
way it may possibly have existed as a 



village in the woods for a thousand 
years before the Christian era. When 
the Romans first landed in Britain, 
about half a century before the birth 
of Christ, the tract of country in which 
Winchester stands appears to have 
been peopled by a Belgic tribe, who 
had come over from the continent about 
two hundred years before. It is said 
that the British name of Winchester 
was then Caer Gwent, or the town of 
Gwent, which the Romans Latinised 
into Vinta, calling it commonly the 
Vinta of the Belgge. If it had been, as 
is commonly thought, the capital of 
England in the times of the Britons, it 
regained that distinction under the 
Saxons, on the union of the country 
under one sceptre in the beginning of 
the ninth century, by Egbert, king of 
Wessex, to whose original dominions it 
had belonged. Winchester was more 
than once ravaged by the Danes, who 
landed at Southampton. Here, in 
1002, commenced the massacre of the 
Danes, who had settled in England. 
From this time till the reign of Ed- 
ward the Confessor, in the middle 
of the eleventh century, Winchester 
retained the dignity of chief city of 
the realm. Here Alfred and Canute 



74 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



principally resided and held their courts ; 
and the cathedral was the burial-place 
of Saxon and Danish kings. Even after 
the erection of the abbey and palace of 
Westminster by the Confessor, and the 
attachment which he showed to that 
neighbourhood, had crowned the long- 
rising importance of London, Winches- 
ter continued for a considerable period 
to dispute pre-eminence with its rival. 
During the reigns of the Conqueror and 
his two sons, in particular, it may be said 
to have still maintained an equality with 
London. William Rufus was crowned 
here, and his remains were interred in 
the cathedral. Here were the royal mint, 
treasury, and public record office, a pa- 
lace and a strong castle. Tt was not 
perhaps considered to have altogether 
lost its old metropolitan supremacy till 
the reign of Richard L, towards the ' 
close of the twelfth century. Parlia- 
ments were held at Winchester both in 
the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. 
Prince Arthur, son of Henry VI I., was 
born at the castle, and Henry VIII. 
entertained the Emperor Charles V- at 
the same place in 1522. The castle was 
garrisoned during the civil war under 
Charles I., first by the parliamentary 
party, from whom the royalists captured 
it in 1643, when it was retaken after 
the fight at Naseby. This castle, which 
had been erected by William the Con- 
queror, was nearly demolished on its 
surrender; and the city walls, as well 
as Wolvesey Palace, the residence of 
the bishops, were greatly damaged at 
the same time. The parliamentary 
soldiers also committed excesses in the 



cathedral by destroying monuments and 
mutilating and injuring parts of the 
edifice. The remains of the castle are 
now scanty: the chapel attached to the 
castle is now used as the county hall 
for holding the assizes, and here is sus- 
pended Arthur's Round Table, which 
was fresh painted on the occasion of the 
entertainment given to Charles V. The 
bishop's palace was rebuilt in 1684. 
Winchester was a favourite city both of 
Charles II. and his brother James II. 
The former sovereign commenced the 
erection of a palace on the site of the old 
castle in 1682, but he died in less than 
two years after laying the foundation 
stone. Prince George of Denmark vi- 
sited Winchester in 1707, accompanied 
by his consort Queen Anne, and they 
were also so well pleased with the city 
and the country around it, that the 
prince resolved upon completing the pa- 
lace commenced by King Charles ; but 
again death interposed, and the origi- 
nal design has never been finished. The 
building has been used as an abode for 
prisoners of war, and is now occupied 
as barracks. The principal floor con- 
sists of a suite of rooms, 160 in number. 
Winchester is situated on the eastern 
slope of an eminence, at the foot of 
which flows the Itchin, which is navi- 
gable for barges, and empties itself into 
Southampton Water. The city consists 
of several good streets lighted with gas 
and well paved: the principal street is 
half a mile long, and is intersected at 
right angles with secondary streets of 
nearly the same length. Of the four 
ancient gates only one is now remain- 



WINCHESTER. 



75 



<> A..- m 







7(5 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



ing, and the ditches have in many 
places been filled up, and all trace of 
them and the old walls obliterated. 

When visited by the Boundary Com- 
missioners in 1831, they remarked in 
their Report that Winchester was gra- 
dually, and with respect to some por- 
tions of it annually increasing in houses, 
population, and wealth. The ecclesi- 
astical and other corporate bodies who 
hold property in the city, are not em- 
powered to grant long leases, and there- 
fore building is not encouraged on their 
estates, and the increase in the number 
of houses takes place chiefly upon free- 
hold property. Winchester has no ma- 
nufactures : it is the residence of vari- 
ous individuals connected with the ma- 
nagement of the county business ; and 
there are also the cathedral dignitaries 
and the parochial clergy, so that the 
society of the place has many attrac- 
tions for persons living upon a hand- 
some independence, who have also the 
additional inducement which the Col- 
lege holds out as a superior place of 
education for their children. 

The public buildings whose appear- 
ance will attract the traveller's attention 
after the Cathedral and the College, 
are — 1. The Town Hall, erected in 1711 : 
here are shown the ancient Winchester 
bushel, and other standard measures, 
ordered to be kept at Winchester by 
King Edgar. 2. The County Gaol, 
built on Howard's plan, in 1788. 3. The 
County Bridewell. 4. The City Bride- 
well. 5. The County Hospital, erected 
in 1 759. There are nine parish churches : 
before the dissolution the churches and 



chapels which the city contained are 
said to have amounted to ninety. 
Winchester, indeed, affords a rich field 
to the student of ecclesiastical antiqui- 
ties ; but it is not possible to enumerate 
all the various sources to which he 
should direct his attention. He may 
refer with advantage to the works of 
Warner, Britton, and other topographi- 
cal writers, if he wishes fully to explore 
this subject. The general reader will 
be interested to know that a gaol now 
occupies the site of Hyde Abbey, in 
which, before the high altar, the remains 
of the great Alfred were interred. Some 
years before his death he had begun 
building a monastery, which he intended 
as a burial-place for himself and his 
family ; but he died two years before it 
was completed, and his remains were 
first interred in the cathedral, but, in 
903, they were removed to his own 
abbey-church, called the " Newn Myn- 
stre." This monastery being subse- 
quently removed to Hyde Meadow, 
they were again removed and finally 
deposited, as before mentioned, in front 
of the high -altar. King Alfred also 
assisted his Queen, Alswytha, in build- 
ing another monastery in the city for 
persons of her own sex. It was near 
and parallel to the cathedral, and was 
called the "Nunna Mynstre," or Abbey 
of St. Mary's. It is in vain that we 
seek for the remains of many of these 
old establishments. The church of 
St. Maurice was anciently a priory 
chapel, and is distinguished for its 
low massive tower. St. Swithin's 
church also belonged to a priory, and 



WINCHESTER. 



77 



may be recognised by the stranger from 
the situation which it occupies over a 
postern gate called the King's Gate. 
St, John's House, or Hospital, in the 
High-street, is said to have been founded 
by a bishop of Winchester before the 
Conquest. It was once in the hands of 
the Templars ; but when it was re- 
founded in the reign of Edward II., it 
was placed under the direction of the 
corporation, who obtained sole posses- 
sion of it at the dissolution. Christ's 
Hospital, founded in 1586, for the sup- 
port of six poor men, and the education 
and maintenance of four poor boys, has 
at present an income exceeding 400/. a 
year. Near the Cathedral there are 
alms-houses, endowed by Bishop Mor- 
ley, in 1672, for the poor widows of 
clergymen. There are a number of 
other charities and endowments, which 
want of space will not allow us to men- 
tion: among them are three well-endowed 
charity schools. The Roman Catholics, 
the Independents, Baptists, Wesleyan 
Methodists, have places of worship in 
the city. The more modern of the city 
institutions include a public library and 
a mechanics' institute, the latter esta- 
blished in 1835 : there are also public 
baths. 

Reduced now to a town not contain- 
ing, by the last census, quite 10,000 
inhabitants, modern Winchester derives 
its chief importance from the ancient 
and splendid ecclesiastical establish- 
ment of which it is the seat. While the 
other bishops take rank according to 
the date of the consecration of each, the 
Bishop of Winchester holds perma- 



nently the next place after those of 
London and Durham, who stand next 
to the two archbishops, and before all 
the rest of the episcopal bench. In 
point of opulence, also, this see has 
always been reckoned one of the first in 
England. The net income of the bi- 
shopric for the three years ending 1835, 
was 11,151/., and that of the cathedral 
dignitaries and other officers was 12,783/. 
for the same period, after deducting ex~ 
penses of various kinds. 

THE CATHEDRAL. 

The foundation of the see, and also 
that of the Cathedral of Winchester, 
have been carried back so far as the 
middle of the second century after the 
birth of Christ, when, it is affirmed, the 
British King Lucius, having become a 
convert to the true religion, erected here 
the first Christian church on the site of 
the chief Pagan temple. This legend, 
however, rests on too uncertain autho- 
rity to be entitled to much regard. All 
that we really know of the ecclesiastical 
history of those times is, that Chris- 
tianity was undoubtedly introduced into 
the island in the course of the first 
century; that the converts among the 
Roman settlers were some time after 
considerable for their numbers; and 
that it had been generally diffused 
among the British inhabitants prior to 
the Saxon invasion. It was not till 
after the commencement of the seventh 
century that * the Saxon kings and 
people of Wessex were induced to relin- 
quish Paganism. The first of the 
former who was baptized was Kinegils, 



78 



JOURNKY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



the great-great-grandson of Cerdic, the 
founder of the dynasty. His conver- 
sion, which took place about the year 
635, and which was speedily followed 
by that of the greater number of his 
subjects, is attributed to St. Birinus, 
who had been sent over to preach the 
Gospel from Italy by Pope Honorius, 
and is accounted the first Bishop of 
Winchester. Kinegils began the build- 
ing of a cathedral, but his death, which 
took place soon after, prevented him 
from carrying it much beyond the 
foundation. The work, however, was 
continued by his son and successor 
Kenewalch, and brought to a conclu- 
sion in 648, when it was dedicated to 
the Holy Trinity and *to the Apostles 
Peter and Paul. This edifice is de- 
scribed as having been of great extent 
and magnificence ; but any consider- 
able building of stone, which is said to 
have been the material employed in the 
present instance, was calculated to ex- 
cite admiration in that age. It stood, 
there can be no doubt, on the same 
spot which is occupied by the existing 
cathedral. In 871, however, in an at- 
tack made upon the city by the Danes, 
the sacred structure appears to have 
b^en, if not entirely demolished, so ter- 
ribly injured as to have been reduced to 
little better than a ruin. It is probable 
tiiat it was repaired by the great Alfred, 
when, some years after, he regained the 
throne of his ancestors ; but in the 
middle of the next century we find the 
fabric to have fallen again into such 
complete decay, that the then bishop, 
kt. Elhulwold, (h'UuiuniLci to pull it 



down, and rebuild it from the founda- 
tion. St. Ethelwold's Cathedral was 
finished in the year 980. 

Much controversy has taken place 
among writers on the architectural an- 
tiquities of Winchester, as to whether 
any or how much of the building erecied 
by St. Ethelwoid remains in the pre- 
sent cathedral. Some have contended 
that the entire church was lebuilt about 
a century after by Bishop Walkelyn, 
the prelate who was firbt appointed to 
the see after the Conquest ; and cer- 
tain of the statements of the old eccle- 
siastical historians would seem to imply 
that this was the fact. It seems to be 
generally acknowledged, however, that 
the character of the architecture of part 
of the east end is nearly decisive in fa- 
vour of its superior antiquity to that of 
the rest of the church, and especially of 
the tower and those portions of the 
transepts and nave which are known to 
be the work of Walkelyn. Some have 
even contended, on evidence of a similar 
description, that parts of both the tran- 
septs and the nave must be considered 
to be of the age of Eihelwold. 

The central tower, however, was un- 
doubtedly built by Bishop Walkelyn, 
whose repairs and additions, whatever 
was their extent, were regarded as so 
important, that, upon their completion 
in 1093, the church underwent a new 
dedication to St. Peter, St. Paul, and 
St. Swithin. After this, a portion of 
the east end was rebuilt towards the 
close of the eleventh century, by Bishop 
Godfrey de Lucy. But the most im- 
portant improvements which were made 



WINCHESTER. 



79 




[Exterior of Winchester Caihed ral.] 



on the original structure were those 
which were commenced soon after the 
middle of the fourteenth century, by 
Bishop William de Edyndon, and con- 
tinued and completed by his illustrious 
successor the celebrated William de 
Wykeham, who held this see from 1366 
to 1404. The latter prelate may be 
said to have rebuilt nearly the whole of 
the cathedral to the westward of the 
central tower ; and to him in particular 
is to be attributed the construction of 
the great west front, which is by far the 
most magnificent part of the edifice as 
it now exists. Finally, in the early 
part of the sixteenth century, a consi- 
derable part of the church to the east 
of the central tower was restored by 
Bishop Richard Fox, another of the 
distinguished prelates by whom this see 
was governed. 

The Cathedral of Winchester, it will 



be perceived from this sketch of its his- 
tory, may be regarded as a nearly com- 
plete record and exemplification of all 
the successive changes in the Norman 
style of architecture, from its rise, or at 
least its introduction into this country, 
in the eleventh, till its disappearance in 
the sixteenth century. The building is 
in the usual foim of a cross ; and is one 
of the largest of our cathedrals, its 
length from east to west being 545 feet, 
and the breadth of the nave and aisles 
87 feet. The nave is considered one of 
the finest in England, and is nearly the 
same length as that of York Minster. 
The length of the transepts from north 
to south is 186 feet; and the roof of the 
nave is 76 feet in height. The height 
of the tower is 138 feet, and its breadth 
50 feet by 48. With the exception of 
the west front — which, with its noble 
window, its buttresses, and pinnacled 



80 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



turrets, and the canopied statue of 
Wykeham that crowns its pointed ter- 
mination, has a grand and imposing 
effect — the exterior of the church has 



but little to recommend it. The ex- 
treme plainness of its architecture, its 
long unbroken continuity of roof, and its 
short and squat tower, give it altogether 



j 




/ 



[Nave of Winchester Cathedral.] 



\ 



WINCHESTER. 



81 



rather a homely and almost heavy air. 
Placed as it is, besides, in a low situation, 
were it not for its immense mass, it would 
scarcely have anything to distinguish it 
from the undecorated buildings by 
which it is surrounded. The interior, 
however, is such as amply to make up 
for this deficiency of outward display. 
The vast length of the vista formed by 
the nave and choir, with the splendid 
ceiling overhead,— the lines of columns 
and arches on each hand, — and the 
large and beautiful window that casts 
its light down from behind the choir, 
at the termination of the view, — all con- 
tribute to produce upon the spectator, 
as he enters from the great western 
door, an overpowering impression of 
solemnity and magnificence. And 
when he proceeds to examine the ob- 



jects by which he is surrounded more 
in detail, he discovers everywhere a 
richness of ornament which it is impos- 
sible to look upon without admiration. 
Not to speak of a profusion of modern 
monuments, there are placed in diffe- 
rent parts of the church various ancient 
chantries and tombs, exhibiting some of 
the finest efforts of Gothic sculpture in 
the world. The chantries, in particular, 
of William of Wykeham, of Bishop Fox, 
of Cardinal Beaufort, and of Bishop 
Waynfiete, are structures of the most 
superb description. Behind the altar 
also is a stone screen erected by Bishop 
Fox, a work of wonderful elaboration 
and beauty. The altar is ornamented 
by West's picture of the Raising of La- 
zarus from the Dead, one of the most 
successful works of that master. Many 




[Interior of Winchester Cathedral.] 



82 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



venerable relics of antiquity are like- 
wise here preserved, and which are 
pointed out to visitors. 

THE COLLEGE. 

Winchester College, which ranks 
next after the cathedral in point of in- 



terest, was founded by William of Wyke- 
harn in the latter part of the fourteenth 
century. An institution for education 
had existed at Winchester before the 
Conquest, which was afterwards made a 
general grammar school for all classes 
of the people. William of Wykeham 




WINCHESTER. 



83 



was among the last of the scholars who 
received their early education in " The 
Great Grammar-school in Winchester." 
After various changes of fortune, all of 
them steps of advancement, Wykeham 
became bishop of Winchester. This 
happened in the year 1366 ; and seven 
years after this, in 1373, he took 
the grammar-school into his own 
hands ; paid the master's salary out 
of his own private funds, and also 
found board and lodging for the scho- 
lars in different houses in St. John's 
parish. He had just endowed at 
Oxford, the other place of his educa- 
tion, a college for the special benefit of 
natives of his diocese ; and he wished 
that they should have the means of 
obtaining that preliminary education 
which should qualify them for deriving 
the necessary advantage from the col- 
lege at Oxford. Having purchased a 
site of the prior and monks of the cathe- 
dral, the works were commenced, and 
six years afterwards, on the 28th of 
March, 1393, JohnMorys, who had been 
the same day appointed warden, and 
with him the rest of the society, made 
their solemn entrance into the college, 
chanting in procession. The society 
consisted of a warden and ten priests, 
who were perpetual fellows ; a master 
and second master, seventy scholars, 
three chaplains, three inferior clerks, 
and sixteen choristers : in all 105 on 
the foundation. Wykeham lived eight 
years afterwards, and died in September, 
1404, at Bishop's Waltham. 

The situation of the college, though 
low, is by no means either damp or un- 



healthy ; for the current of the river, 
and the constant exchange of the atmo- 
sphere between the downs and the mea- 
dows, and also between the upper and 
lower parts of the valley, keep the air in 
continual and healthy motion. 

The part of the college fronting the 
street is anything but handsome. An 
arched gateway leads to the first court 
or square, or rather oblong, the court 
end of which is occupied by the warden's 
house, and the rest is taken up by dor- 
mitories, offices, and other common 
apartments. The tower over the gate- 
way leading inwards from this first 
quadrangle is rather more ornamented 
than that towards the street ; and the 
upper part of it is ornamented by three 
niches, containing statues of the Virgin, 
the angel Gabriel, and one of Wykeham, 
in his episcopal robes and mitre, sup- 
plicating the blessing of the Virgin. 
The archway under the tower leads to 
the second quadrangle, which is not so 
long, but broader, and therefore better 
proportioned than the first. The build- 
ings are also in far superior style, and 
display that classical simplicity and 
strength which are so conspicuous in 
every work that Wykeham designed or 
erected. 

The dining hall occupies the left side 
of the second quadrangle, and is a 
splendid room, in the ancient Gothic 
style, measuring 63 feet in length and 
33 in breadth. The roof is lofty, and 
without ceiling ; but with the beams 
and rafters appropriately ornamented, 
especially with bosses at the intersec- 
tions. The people of the middle age 
G 2 



84 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 




[Winchester College, with the Cloisters, entrance to the Library, and the Church.] 



WINCHESTER. 



85 



never ceiled their dining-halls either 
with stone or with wood, but left them 
clear to the roof, and with some means 
of ventilation for carrying off the fumes 
of the dinner ; and this roof is elevated, 
and has openings for this purpose, but 
so contrived as that neither rain nor 
a current of air shall find entrance. The 
trusses of the roof are supported on the 
walls by ornamented corbels, which 
chiefly represent the heads of kings and 
bishops. The ascent to this hall is by 
a flight of steps in the south-western 
angle of the court ; and by the bottom 
of the stairs there is a lavatory, where 
the members of the college performed 
their ablutions as they went to and from 
their meals, personal cleanliness having 
been strictly enjoined in all establish- 
ments of the kind. The west wing con- 
tains the kitchen, which is an ample 
apartment well suited for its purpose. 
In an apartment near the kitchen there 
is a very singular figure in oil painting, 
usually termed " the trusty servant," 
and intended perhaps as a standing 
admonition to the servants of the esta- 
blishment. 

The eastern or right wing of the south 
side of the second quadrangle is occu- 
pied by the chapel, 33 feet wide, the 
same as the hall ; but the length of it 
is 102 feet. The windows are spacious, 
and filled with stained glass ; and the 
roof, which is made of oak in imitation 
of a groined roof of stone, is exactly in 
the same style as the ceiling, of the 
same kind which is over the presbytery 
of Winchester eathedral. The great 
east window is spacious in its dimen- 



sions, and has its mullions very chastely- 
disposed, and being entirely filled with 
stained glass, it throws a dim but warm 
and mellowed light over the whole in- 
terior. The other windows are also 
filled with stained glass, exhibiting a 
numerous collection of kings, bishops, 
priests, abbots, nuns, &c. The dark 
colour of the oaken ceiling gives a 
peculiarly solemn air to the interior of 
the chapel. The floor was, in former 
times, paved with ornamental stones 
inlaid with curious brasses ; and the 
choir stalls were adorned in the ancient 
style with canopies and spire- work. 
In 1691 Dr. Nicholas, with singular 
bad taste, placed modern benches and 
wainscoting in the room of the stalls, 
new painted the choir, and had a new 
altar erected of the Ionic order, so that 
the roof and walls still appear those 
of an ancient chapel, while the floor and 
furniture would better become a modern 
meeting-house. 

The appointment of the choir consists 
of three chaplains, three clerks, an or 
ganist, and sixteen choristers ; and the 
choir service is performed at 8 o'clock 
a.m. and 5 o'clock p.m. on Sundays 
and holidays, and 5 o'clock on the vigils 
of the latter. In vacation-time stran- 
gers may attend the chapel; and there 
are tribunes for females in the places 
formerly occupied by the side altars. 

The cloisters constitute the extreme 
south-east of the college buildings, and 
form a square of 132 feet on the sides, 
and are supposed to have been erected 
about 1430, by John Fromond, who cer- 
tainly built the chapel in the centre of 



86 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



their area. An endowment by the 
founder for a priest to officiate in this 
chapel was subverted at the dissolution. 
The chapel was converted into a library 
in 1629, and so remains to the present 
time. The collection of books is con- 
siderable, and some of 1 hem are valuable : 
there are also a few articles such as 
are suitable for a museum. 

To the westward of the cloisters and 
library, and separated from them by an 
area of moderate dimensions, stands the 
building which is, in a public point of 
view, the most interesting of the whole. 
This is the public school, a plain sub- 
stantial building, erected in the year 
1687, at a cost of 2600/, obtained chiefly 
by a subscription amongst Wykeham- 
ists. Over the entrance there is a bronze 
statue of the founder, modelled, cast, 
and presented by Caius Gabriel Cibber, 
father of Colly Cibber. The statue in 
question has been disfigured by being 
painted and gilt. This school-room is 
spacious, being 90 feet long, 36 feet 
wide, and of proportional height: upon 
the walls are set forth the admonitions 
and rules for the government of the 
scholars, all in Latin. The admonitions 
are three : " Either learn ; or depart ; 
or in the third place be flogged ;" and 
adjoining to these there are appropriate 
symbols. 

Winchester College, with its gram- 
mar-school, differs little in its manage- 
ment from Eton. The commoners are 
not under the control of the warden, but 
under the immediate superintendence of 
the head-master, and have a quadran- 
gle and a hall of their own, situated at the 



north-western angle of the college. The 
foundation scholars are limited to 70, 
and the commoners are in general about 
130. The warden and fellows at Win- 
chester, and those of Wykeham's col- 
lege, are the parties who have the nomi- 
nation of the foundation scholars. The 
candidates for Wykeham's college at 
Oxford consist of two of the kin of the 
founder, if such are found qualified, and 
after them of the other foundation scho- 
lars in the order of their respective 
merits. While at the school here the 
total expense to gentlemen commoners 
may be about 120/. a year, and perhaps 
the extras, not included in the foundation, 
may cost the foundation scholars some 
30/. or 40/. There is no limitation as to 
the age at which foundation scholars 
may enter the establishment ; but if 
they are not of the kindred of the 
founder, they must leave it at 1 8,whereas 
his kindred may remain till they are 25. 
After the candidates for Oxford have 
been selected and all the business is over, 
there is a ball, and the final act previous 
to the summer vacation is the chanting 
of a Latin song, "Dulce Domum,"' to 
which justice cannot be done in any 
English translation. 

The City Cross, erected in the reign 
of Henry VI., is an elegant work of art, 
43 feet high. It is undoubtedly the 
finest market-cross remaining in Eng- 
land. It is much to the credit of the 
then inhabitants of Winchester, that 
they saved it from destruction in 1770. 
Some commissioners of pavements had 
either sold it or bargained for its re- 
moval, and the workmen had actually 




[Winchester Market Cross.] 



88 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



assembled in order to commence opera- 
tions, when a number of the citizens 
gathered together, and by their spirited 
remonstrances frustrated the attempt. 
The period of its erection is assigned, 
with every appearance of probability, 
to the period we have mentioned, 
namely, the fifteenth century. The 
cross stands in the High- street, nearly 
in the centre of the city. It is elevated 
on five stone steps, each of which gra- 
dually diminishes in size, and consists 
of three stories, adorned with open 
arches, niches, and pinnacles, sur- 
mounted with small crosses. It appears 
to have had four statues originally ; but 
only one now remains, under one of the 
canopied niches on the second story. 
Mr. Britton gives the following dimen- 
sions : — " It now measures 43j feet from 
the ground to the summit. The lower tier 
of arches is 7 feet 10 inches high, and 
the statue is 5 feet 10 inches." 

The origin of market-crosses seems 
obvious enough. The figure of the 
cross during the middle ages was 
the grand symbol of religion. It was 
placed every where — in churches, church- 
yards, by the road-side, to stimulate the 
devotions of the traveller. The use of 
the cross, therefore, to indicate the 
market-place, arose very naturally from 
the veneration paid to it : it served to 
excite devotional feelings in those as- 
sembled for the purpose of buying and 
selling. A large number of market- 
towns were in the immediate neigh- 
bourhood and stood on the soil of ab- 
beys and other religious foundations. 
The country people who came to dispose 



of their grain, poultry, eggs, butter, 
&c, had to pay certain tolls on their 
commodities ; these were generally col- 
lected at the " cross," or market- pi ace ; 
and frequently advantage was taken of 
the assembling of the people to address 
them from the cross on some particular 
topic. 

During the latter days of the Gothic, 
or rather the ecclesiastical architecture, 
the idea was adopted of enlarging the 
area where the cross stood, and arching 
it over, so as to afford a shelter during 
inclement weather, or, in the words of 
Leland, " for poore market folkes to 
stand dry when rayne cumine^.'' At 
the dissolution of the monasteries, almost 
every market town in England had a 
cross, some of them exceedingly rich and 
elaborate in their architectural details. 
' It is a matter of regret to the antiquary 
and the lover of ancient monuments 
that so few have been preserved. 

The Hospital of St. Cross is 
situated within the parliamentary bound- 
ary of the city, in the centre of 
a delightful part of the valley of 
Itchin, and is every way deserving 
a visit. There are several ways *of 
getting to this hospital from Win- 
chester : the carriage- road may be 
either the Southampton road from the 
upper part of the city, or the Kingsgate- 
street road directly from the Cathedral 
and Close. For pedestrians, especially 
in summer, the most delightful walk is 
across the meadows, along that canal 
or branch of the Itchin which is used 
in irrigating the western parts of the 
vale. By any of these routes one is soon 







1 







■* 



<>0 



JOURNKY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



brought to the entrance-gate, which is 
in the northern part of the premises, 
toward the village of St. Cross. 

Although the valley in which this 
village is situated stretches from Aires- 
ford to Southampton, with a pretty regu- 
lar descent and current of the water all 
the way, yet this particular portion of it 
has the appearance of an amphitheatre 
of considerable extent and of very great 
beauty. On the left bank of the river is 
St. Catherine's Hill ; the northern slope 
of which is the grand play-ground for 
the scholars of Winchester College ; 
and for this reason the hill itself is 
sometimes called the College Hill. Near 
the summit of the hill there are traces 
of an ancient fortification. On the 
summit there is a lonely little clump 
of trees ; but they form a very con- 
spicuous object from most parts of the 
surrounding country ; and they are 
sometimes not a little provoking to 
the pedestrian whom the beauties of 
this part of Hampshire tempt to a long 
ramble ; for they are always seen, but 
never appear to be reached. Between 
the hospital and St. Catherine's Hill 
there are various ramifications of the 
crystal waters of the itchin, which is 
here employed to irrigate exceedingly 
beautiful and highly-productive water 
meadows; and, immediately under the 
hill, which is very steep, there is the 
barge river or canal, by which heavy 
goods are carried from Southampton to 
Winchester in barges vary ing from fifty 
to seventy tons in burthen. The trans- 
parency of the water, and the exquisite 
perennial green of the meadows, which 



extend upwards to Winchester, and 
downwards as far as the eye can reach, 
with the occasional trees and hedge- 
rows, all in the richest verdure, render 
this one of the sweetest spots that can 
well be imagined. Nor must we forget 
the beauty of the hill. St. Catherine's 
is the western termination of the chalk- 
ridge which extends, with a little inter- 
ruption, from Butser hill, near the 
borders of Sussex, to this point on the 
Itchin, and after heing interrupted by 
that river, rises again on the opposite 
side, swelling into a considerable mount, 
from the summit of which Cromwell 
battered the castle of Winchester, and 
forced it to surrender after it had long 
withstood the attempts of Sir William 
Waller. Like St. Catherine's, this ele- 
vation has a clump of stunted trees, 
which occupies nearly the whole area 
of the fort. 

Near St. Catherine's is the beautiful 
vale of Chilcombe, containing some of 
the most productive land in Hampshire, 
though without the slightest rill of run- 
ning water. On the top of Twyfoid 
down, behind St. Catherine's, there arc 
still vestiges of the <>reat Roman road 
from Porta Magna, modern Porches- 
ter, to Venta Belgarum, or Winchester. 
This road was the principal thorough- 
fare for the Romans from the sea to the 
interior of this part of Eng'and ; for 
though there was a Roman harbour at 
Clausentum on the Itchin, a little above 
Southampton, and another at Nutshal- 
ling, a little above Redbridge on the 
Test, with roads from each of these to 
Winchester, yet both appear to have 



WINCHESTER. 



91 



been merely river harbours, and not 
much employed for direct intercourse 
with the Continent. This Roman road 
descended the north-eastern shoulder of 
St. Catherine's Hill, passed the lower 
part of the vale of Chilcombe, and so 
reached Winchester, beyond which it 
was carried along the heights to the 
strong hill-fort of Sorbiodunum, or Old 
Sarum, which, in those days, was per- 
haps the place of greatest strength in 
the south-west of England. 

The downs surrounding St. Cathe- 
rine's and Chilcombe have fine slopes, 
and are covered with delicate and whole- 
some grass; they rise to a considerable 
elevation on the south-east and the 
north ; the most lofty being Longwood 
Warren on the east, and the western 
termination on the north, St. Giles's 
Hill, rising very abruptly from the bank 
of the river at Winchester ; which city, 
in the days of its splendour, extended a 
considerable way over the summit of the 
hill, and even on towards Magdalen 
Hill, upon which there once was an 
hospital, as there was a chapel on the 
summit of St. Catherine's. On the 
north-west, Winchester, with its vast 
length of Cathedral, the beautiful tower 
of its college, and the mass of that por- 
tion of Charles II.'s intended palace, 
now converted into a most commodious 
barrack, form a continuous barrier in 
this quarter, from which the chalky 
down trends south and south-east by 
Cromwell's fort, until it approaches the 
river in Compton downs, opposite to St. 
Catherine's and Twyford downs on the 
other side. From the number of chan- 



nels into which the waters of the river 
are diverted for the purposes of irriga- 
tion, and the quantity of the surface 
which is generally under water, the 
temperature of this amphitheatre is de- 
lightfully fresh in summer : and though 
it is a little cold in winter, it has no ten- 
dency to be aguish, as those who under- 
stand the management of water-mea- 
dows never allow the waters to stagnate 
upon them, even for a single day. 

The chapel of St. Cross, which is the 
finest and most perfect remains of the 
architectural splendour of Henry de 
Blois (temp. Stephen), is certainly a 
magnificent structure, considering that 
it was originally intended only for thir- 
teen poor men, a master, a steward, 
four chaplains, thirteen clerks, and seven 
choristers. 

The church is in the cathedral style ; 
that is to say, it consists of a nave and 
side aisles, with a chancel and transepts, 
and a huge and massy Norman tower 
over the intersection, which has origin- 
ally formed a lantern to throw a dim 
oblique light upon the high altar; but it 
is now divided off by floors. The leads 
of the tower can be ascended without 
much difficulty ; and from them there 
is a very fine view of the rich meadows 
around, the South Western Railway, the 
city, cathedral, and college of Winches- 
ter, and the valley of theltchin, upwards 
and downwards. 

Externally the building is plain, but 
the different parts of it are admirably 
proportioned; and the whiteness of its 
colour renders it a striking object as 
contrasted with the rich green of the 



92 



JOURNKY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



meadows and the dark foliage of the 
trees. The towers, and all the eastern 
turrets, which appear to be in very nearly 
the same state as they were left by the 
architects of De Blois, are of squared 
stone, jointed in the neatest and most 
durable manner. This chapel or church 
is, indeed, evidently of the same size, 
on the same foundation, and by far the 
greater part of it of the same architec- 
ture, which it had from the beginning. 
The nave and aisles measure 150 feet 
long from east to west, and the transepts 
120 from north to south, thus approach- 
ing more nearly to a perfect and regular 
cross than in most cathedrals. De Blois 
seems to have been anxious that this, 
his favourite hospital, should be the 
monument of his architectural taste — a 
taste in which, by peculiarity of orna-. 
ment, he seems to have been anxious to 
excel all his Norman predecessors. 
"Whether the arched roof over the nave 
and aisles was part of his original plan 
we cannot now determine, though it is 
not likely, as the Normans, down to 
this age, carried up their walls with a 
succession of arches to the timbers of 
the roof. But from the style of the 
pillars which divide the aisles from the 
nave, it is highly probable that they are 
part of the original Norman structure. 
They are very massy, quite cylindrical, 
without any taper, and the circumfe- 
rence of the shaft is about equal to its 
height, thus making them not more 
than four diameters, including the bases 
and capitals. The bases are placed 
upon square plinths, with a supporting 
claw to each corner, though these parts 



are considerably worn, and the capitals 
in general consist of simple mouldings, 
though these mouldings are not perfectly 
uniform in all their pillars. The arches 




[Norman Wiudovr, St. Cross. J 

which they now support have a slight 
approximation to being pointed ; and 
there are pointed arches of decidedly 
Norman structure in other parts of the 
edifice ; but it is doubtful whether the 
present arches which the pillars support 
are not of more recent date than the 
pillars themselves. 

By some writers these pillars and 
arches have been considered as Saxon, 
that is, as constructed after Saxon 
models ; but as the first thing the 
Normans did, after establishing their 
possession of England, was to rebuild 
the cathedrals and churches, it is by no 
means likely that they would have 
chosen Saxon models; because, if the 
models had been satisfactory to the 
Normans, these people would not have 
pulled down the original edifices and 



WINCHESTER. 



93 



erected others in their stead. It is to 
be borne in mind also, that 70 years 
had elapsed between the Norman con- 
quest and the building of St. Cross, and 
that these years had been years of 
religious building in many parts of the 
country, during which princes, nobles, 
and prelates seem to have vied with 
each other as to who should produce 
the finest specimen of the building art. 
In St. Cross, De Blois seems to have 
collected all the methods of ornament- 
ing: which were then known. In the 
mouldings we find the cheveron, the 
hatchet, the billet, the pellet, the fret, 
the indented, the clouded, the waved, 
and every other style of this kind of 
ornament which can be regarded as 
truly Norman. The most elaborate 
workmanship appears to have been be- 
stowed upon the interior of the presby- 
tery; and this consists of circular 
arches, springing from short pillars, 
enriched with mouldings and work- 
basket wire, so that immediately over 
the pillars they form pointed arches, 
while in each crown of an arch, which 
is over the intermediate pillar, there is 
a triangular space. Some of the 
pointed arches have been carried out 
into windows of the same form, and of 
these there are four over the high altar 
and four on each side of the presbytery. 
In modern times, the revenues of the 
hospital afford rather a handsome re- 
venue to the master, who is seldom, if 
ever, resident : the present master is the 
Earl of Guildford, who is in holy orders. 
Besides his living, there is something, 
but we believe not a great deal, to the 



chaplain, who resides in the building, 
and performs service in the chapel, 
which is attended by sufferance by the 
inhabitants of the adjoining parish of 
St. Faith, they having had no church 
of their own for many years. The bre- 
thren are some eleven or twelve in num- 
ber, and they have comfortable houses 
with separate gardens, and about 100/. 
a year each. The charity is a perfectly 
free one, so that a brother may not only 
have his family along with him, but 
may follow his trade or profession, if he 
has one ; and we have seen, in one of 
the lodges, a venerable painter amusing 
his old age with his pallet and brush, 
and living cheerfully and happily in the 
society of his grandchildren. The bre- 
thren, when they come abroad, wear 
black cloaks, with a large silver cross 
on the left breast, so that they may be 
known. Cardinal Beaufort, who may be 
regarded almost as the second founder 
of St. Cross, intended that his part 
of the charity at least should go to the 
support of broken-down gentlemen ; and 
for this reason he wished it to be called 
"The Alms-house of Noble Poverty." 
At present, however, we believe that the 
vacant brotherships are as often filled 
up by favourite servants in their old 
age as by broken-down squires. The 
revenues of the brethren vary consider- 
ably from year to year, because a good 
part of them are derived from fines on 
leases and on entries. 

There is still a small remnant of the 
hospitable customs of ancient times, and 
of the manners of an early state of 
society, and any one who, before the 



91 



JOUKNKY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



day is too far spent, knocks at the por- 
ter's lodge, gets a horn of ale and a slice 
of bread. There are not very many way- 
faring men who avail themselves of this 
charity ; but when a poor traveller does 
call, the portress gives him a slice of 
bread worth having. In summer, much 
both of the bread and ale is given to 
those who resort to the hospital in order 
to see its beauties. For this treat the 
portress expects such gratuity as they 
please to give her. 

The road from Winchester to Gos- 
port, a distance of 24 miles, passes 
through Twyford, Botley, and Titch- 
field. About 2 miles south of Winches- 
ter the road branches out of the road to 
Southampton, soon after which it passes 
through Twyford, where there was once 
a Roman Catholic seminary, at which 
Pope received part of his education. 
The church contains a bust by Nolle- 
kins, of Dr. Shipley, bishop of St. Asaph. 
There are several good mansions in the 
neighbourhood --Twyford House, Twy- 
ford Lodge, and Shawford Lodge. 

Botley, 11 miles from Winchester, 
lies in a valley watered by the river 
Hamble, which is navigable to this 
place. There are here several large 
corn-mills, and a considerable trade in 
flour is carried on. The late Mr. Cob- 
bett had once a farm in this parish. 

Titchfield is 6 miles further on the 
road, and in a pleasant situation, at tne 
head of Southampton water, near the 
Titchfield river, winch is navigable for 
small vessels: it is about 10 miles from 
the Southampton station. The church 
is an interesting structure, and contains 



the effigies of Wriothesley, first Earl of 
Southampton, and his wife and son ; 
also a monument by Chantrey, in me- 
mory of Miss Hornby. On the east of 
the town are some high grounds from 
which a view may be obtained of the 
Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and Spit- 
head. The ruins of Titchfield House 
are near the town. This mansion, which 
is now almost entirely demolished, was 
built on the site, and with the materials 
of the old abbey. Charles I. was twice 
concealed in this house — first, after his 
escape from Hampton Court, and, se- 
condly, previously to his surrender and 
imprisonment at Carisbrook Castle. 

Fareham is 2 miles west of Titch- 
field. The road from Southampton to 
Chichester passes through Fareham, 
and forms a junction with the present 
road at Titchfield. 

Continuing our present route, we 
pass through Crofton and Rowner to 
Gosport, distant 7 miles from Titchfield, 
and 24 from Winchester. 

The road from Winchester to Ports- 
mouth and Chichester is through Bish- 
op's Waltham and Fareham. 

After leaving Winchester the road 
passes over Chilcombe Down to More- 
stead, and about a mile east of Upham, 
whereYoung wrote his 'Night Thoughts.' 
Thence it proceeds through Bishop's 
Waltham over Waltham Chace to 
Wickham, where it joins the London 
and Gosport road, described at p. 28. 
At Fareham we leave this road, passing 
at the foot of Portsdown Hill, and to 
the left of Porchester Castle, to Cos- 
hani, where we join the London and 



PORCHESTER CASTLE. 



95 



Portsmouth road about 4j miles from 
Portsmouth. 

Porchester Castle, situated at the 
head of Portsmouth harbour, is of great 
antiquity and doubtful origin. The walls 
contain some portions of Roman archi- 
tecture, and are probably on the site of 
one of the stations denominated Portus, 
either Portus Magnus, or more probably 
Portus Adurni, mentioned in the No- 
titia Imperii. It is probable that the 
site has been occupied by a fortress from 
a period anterior to the Roman con- 
quest; and the present structure exhibits 
traces of Saxon and Norman, as well as 
Roman architecture. It is a quadrangle 
enclosing an area of four or five acres 
(see plan, p. 96), and is still in sufficient 
preservation to be used as a place of 
confinement for prisoners of war. The 
walls are from eight to twelve feet thick 
and eighteen feet high, having in many 
places a passage round them, defended 
by a parapet. It is enclosed by a ditch 
(double on the east side), and has eigh- 
teen hollow circular towers (a), including 
those of the keep, which are four. A 
square Saxon keep, which has usurped 
the place of one of the circular Roman 
towers forms the north-west angle of 
the castle, and encloses a quadrangle of 
1 15 feet by 65. There is no sign of a 
portcullis having been used in this 
Saxon keep. To this tower Mr. King 
supposes an addition to have been made 
by the Normans, who at the same time 
fortified it after their manner, forming 
an inner baillie, or ballium, within the 
outer baillie formed by the large Roman 
enclosure. This keep was in fact the 



citadel of the castle, and was the resi- 
dence of the chief officer. Porchester 
Castle is interesting from the examples 
of Saxon and Norman adaptations and 
earth building within its walls. The 
Roman gates (6, c), most probably the 
Decuman and Praetorian, have been 
filled up with gates constructed after 
the Norman style of fortifying castel- 
lated entrances. The area of Porches- 
ter is 620 feet by 610. 

The remains of Roman workmanship 
are chiefly observable in the outer walls. 
Many Roman coins and medals have been 
dug up at different times. The parish 
church of Porchester is within the outer 
court of the castle : it is a large Norman 
cross church, of which the south tran- 
sept has been destroyed. All the doors 
and windows of the more ancient part 
have semicircular arches. The church 
contains a curious font. A priory for- 
merly existed at Porchester, which w T as 
removed to Soutrnvick in the reign of 
Henry II. (12th century.) 

From Cosham there is a continual ion 
of the road eastward to Chichester 
through Havant and Emsworth. 

Havant is in the liberty of Havant 
(which comprehends only this parish), 
near the head of Langston harbour, 
66j miles from London by Petersfield 
and Horndean, and 8 miles from Ports- 
mouth. The parish comprehends 2560 
acres, and had in 1831 a population of 
2083, about one-iourth agricultural. 
The church is in the centre of the town, 
in the form of a cross, with a tower 
rising from the intersection : some parts 
of it are of Norman architecture, but it 



96 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 




400 500 



[Porcliester Castle.] 



exhibits various styles. The living is 
a rectory, in the peculiar jurisdiction of 
the bishop of Winchester, who has the 
presentation : it is of the yearly value of 
489/., with a trlebe-house. There is an 
Independent congregation. Havant has 
little trade: some parchment is made, 
and some of the inhabitants are engaged 
in fishing and fowling. The market is 
on Saturday, and there are two yearly 
fairs. 

Emsworth, a hamlet of the parish of 
Warblington, at the head of a channel 



which forms a branch of Chichester 
harbour, is a place of some trade as a 
port; ship-building and rope-making 
are carried on. Emsworth is on the 
edge of the county, about 9 miles west 
of Chichester. 

The road from Winchester to South- 
ampton, 12 miles distant, passes through 
St. Cross, Compton, and Otterbourn 
The hospital of St. Cross has already 
been described. After passing through 
Compton, we find 

Hursley Lodge tne seat of Sir W. 



EMSWORTH TO HURSLEY. 



97 



Heathcote, bait. It is situated about 5 
miles from Winchester in a south-wes- 
tern direction. There was formerly a 
castle or palace here belonging to the 
bishops of Winchester, erected by Bishop 
de Blois, and which, so early as the 14th 
century, was in ruins. A portion of the 
keep still remains, standing in an area 
which was surrounded by an immense 
double and circular entrenchment. We 
may also add, in connexion with the 
ancient history of the manor, which is 
called Merdon, that Kynewulph, king 
of the West Saxons, was murdered here 
by Kyenard. But a much greater in- 
terest attaches to Hursley than these 
circumstances excite ; we allude to its 
connexion with the Cromwell family. 
About 1639 Hursley was purchased 
from Sir Gerard Napier by Richard 
Major, Esq., whose daughter and co- 
heiress Dorothy married, May 1, 1649, 
Richard, the eldest son of Cromwell. 
From that time Richard Cromwell re- 
sided here, enjoying the amusements 
the country afforded, of hunting, hawk- 
ing, &c. After his father's death, his 
own elevation to the Protectorate, and 
his deposition, this was the only estate 
belonging to him that the restored go- 
vernment could not seize ; for it be- 
longed in jointure to his wife aad their 
issue. After the death of his wife and 
eldest son, Richard Cromwell became 
entitled to a life-interest in the estate 
at Hursley ; he accordingly sent down 
his daughters to take possession. They 
did so, and then refused to give it up to 
him, alleging that he was superannu- 
ated, and in lieu they offered him an 



annual income. He had then recourse 
to the law, which decided in his favour. 
The respect his daughters refused, 
strangers were proud to pay him: his 
appearance in court excited great in- 
terest, and the Queen (Anne) herself is 
said to have expressed her approbation 
of the great deference paid to a man 
who had been a sovereign. He died at 
Cheshunt in 1712, aged eighty-five, 
and was buried with great funeral pomp 
at Hursley in the chancel of the church, 
near his deceased lady and children. 
His daughters, after his death, sold the 
estate to Sir W. Heathcote for 35,000/., 
who caused the ancient mansion to be 
entirely taken down, in consequence, 
according to tradition, of a vow he had 
made, that, because it had belonged to 
the Cromwells, " he would not let one 
stone or brick remain upon another even 
to the foundations !" A seal was found 
on this occasion in one bf the walls, 
which proved to be the seal of the Com- 
monwealth, and, in the opinion of Ver- 
tue, the eminent artist, the very one 
taken away by Cromwell from the house 
of parliament under such extraordinary 
circumstances. The demolition being 
completed, Sir William erected the 
present building, which is of brick. The 
front has a somewhat grand appearance, 
with its lofty pilasters of stone rising 
from the basement story, and sur- 
mounted by a pediment. The entrance 
is by a flight of steps on each side. The 
lawn in front is of considerable extent, 
and ornamented with many fine old trees 
and shrubs. The park is well stocked 
with deer, and game of every kind. 



98 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



The hills in the neighbourhood of 
Otterhourn, through which the road 
passes, command fine views of South- 
ampton water, the Solent sea, and the 
Isle of Wight. At Stoneham, on the 
right, is a mansion and extensive park. 
Admiral Hawke, one of the naval heroes 
of the reign of George II., was buried 
in the church, which is situated within 
the park. South Stoneham park and 
village are on the left, somewhat near- 
er Southampton. Passing Ports wood 
House and Belle Vue on the left, and 
Bannister Lodge and Bevis Mount on 
the opposite side of the road, we quickly 
reach Southampton, a distance of 12 
miles from Winchester. 

The road from Winchester to Poole 
passes through Romsey and Ringwood : 
the latter place is noticed in Chapter 
IX. 

Romsey is 10 miles south-west of 
the Winchester station, and 8 miles 
north-north-west of the station at South- 
ampton. The high road from London 
and Winchester to Poole, through Ring- 
wood, and from Southampton to Salis- 
bury, passes through the town. The 
distance from London by the road is 
73 miles. Romsey is situated in a* rich 
agricultural district, upon the left bank 
of the Anton or Test, over which is a 
bridge, and close to the Andover canal. 
The population had increased in the 
twenty years between 1811 and 1831, 
although during this period the last re- 
mains of its lingering woollen manu- 
facture had gone, and the manufacture 
of paper, which was once considerable, 
became very greatly reduced. The 



only manufactures that it can now be 
said to have are those of parchment and 
other dressed skins ; and the chief trade, 
besides the vending of these, is wool- 
stapling. A good deal of business is 
done in the purchase of corn, and in 
the flour and malt trade. The whole 
parish is very extensive, compre- 
hending 9310 acres, with a population 
of 5432, about one-fourth agricultural; 
but the borough comprehends only that 
part of the parish known as " Romsey 
Infra," having an extent of 380 acres, 
and a population of 2046. There are 
dissenting meeting-houses, a town-hall, 
an " audit-house," supported on piers, 
with an open space below for the mar- 
ket-people, a small borough gaol, and 
some almshouses. The market is on 
Thursday, formerly on Saturday, and 
' there are three yearly fairs. By the 
Municipal Reform Act, the council of 
the borough consists of a mayor, four 
aldermen, and twelve councillors. The 
living is a vicarage, in the diocese and 
archdeaconry of Winchester, of the 
yearly value of 305/. There were in 
the parish in 1835 twelve infant or 
dame-schools, with 136 children, twenty 
day-schools, with about 650 children, 
and seven Sunday-schools, with about 
700 children. Of the day-schools one 
is a free- school, another is a national- 
school united with an old endowed free- 
school, and a third is wholly supported 
by Lord Palmerston and family. 

The church formerly belonged to an 
abbey founded in the reign of Edward 
the Elder, and occupied by Benedic- 
tine nuns : the abbev was valued at the 



ROMSEY. 



99 



dissolution at 5281. 8$. lOd. per annum 
gross, or 3931. 10$. lOd. clear. Several 
members of the Saxon royal family were 
abbesses. The original buildings were 
totally destroyed by the Danes, and 
subsequently rebuilt. It is impossible 
to say what may have been the style of 
architecture in the Abbey, properly so 
called, because no part of it remains ; 
the church, however, is Norman, as is 
evinced by its majestic height, and the 
bold mouldings and sculptures of the 
capitals. 

The situation on which the church 
stands is commanding. The edifice is 
in the form of a cross, consisting of a 
nave and chancel as the stem, and two 
transepts as the arms, with a massive 
tower supported upon pillars and cir- 
cular arches, over the intersection . The 
length of the nave and chancel is about 
240 feet, and the breadth along the 
transepts more than 120. The whole 
is very lofty, even in proportion to the 
extent of the horizontal dimensions. 
The chancel and transepts, with the 
eastern part of the nave, are in the 
richest style of purely Norman archi- 
tecture ; and the tower is also Norman ; 
but the western part is of a mixed style, 
inclining to what is usually termed 
Gothic, with pointed windows divided 
by mullions, and the great west win- 
dow consists of three lancet-headed 
compartments, the central one more 
lofty than the others, so that they har- 
monise with a large pointed arch of 
blind masonry in which they are in- 
cluded. The internal ornaments on 
the arches of the most ancient part are, 



generally speaking, zigzags in very 
bold relief; and the architecture of the 
whole of this portion is in very fine 
taste. Though more modern, the west- 
ern part is inferior, but still it is hand- 
some. The nave has side aisles parted 
off by pillars ; and round the chancel 
there is an external passage of some 
width, inferior in height to the interior, 
but with singularly fantastic sculptures 
on the capitals of some of the pillars. 
In this place some of the best monu- 
ments are situated. 

The eastward angles, between the 
transepts and the chancel, are filled up 
by two buildings enclosed by arcs of 
circles, which may at one time have 
been the chapels or chantries of local 
saints whose names have perished 
with the record ; but one of them is 
now used as a vestry, and the other is 
a sort of grammar-school, while a Sun- 
day-school is held in a divided portion 
on the west end of the south aisle of 
the nave. The tower, which surmounts 
the intersection of the body and tran- 
septs of the church is accessible by a 
circular staircase enclosed in the wall 
at the south-western angle, and consists 
of 1 51 stone steps. Near the top of the 
tower, or rather in a wooden belfry over 
it, there is a peal of eight bells of the 
finest tone ; and the lead roof surround- 
ing this belfry, and enclosed by a very 
low parapet, commands a delightful 
view of the surrounding country. Some 
years ago there was rather a singular 
curiosity upon this roof; it was an 
apple-tree which grew upon a small 
portion of mould there, and blossomed 
H 2 



100 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



te§0£ 




ROMSEY. 



101 




[Norman Doorway, Romsey Abbey Church.] 



and ripened its fruit every year, in the 
same perfection as if it had been in an 
orchard. 

The sculptures are few, with the ex- 
ception of the grotesque figures on the 
capitals of some of the pillars and along 
the mouldings under the eaves of the 
nave, together with a very fine repre- 
sentation of the Crucifixion upon the 
western wall of the south transept, 
which had once been under the clois- 
ters, in the passage of the nuns from 
their apartments to a highly orna- 
mented doorway near the angle where 
this transept joins the south aisle of the 



nave. Among the monuments, the 
most notable is that of Sir William 
Petty, a native of Romsey, ancestor of 
the Marquis of Lansdowne : it is a 
rude stone in the pavement without the 
chancel, and near the door of the ves- 
try ; and the only inscription on it is, 
" Here lyes Sir William Petty." 

Tatchbury Mount, near Romsey, af- 
fords a fine view of Southampton 
Water. 

Broadlands, the seat of Viscount 
Palmerston, is situated in an extensive 
park which immediately joins the town 
of Romsey, and through which flows 



102 



JOURNEY-EOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



the river Test. The mansion on the 
eastern side of the river presents an 
elegant front, adorned with a portico 
built in the purest style of the Ionic 
order. It is built of fine white bricks, 
from a design by Brown, who origi- 
nally laid out the grounds. The inte- 
rior arrangements, and in fact every 
part of the mansion, present evidences 
of the excellent taste and classical ac- 
quirements of the late Lord Palmerston, 
its builder. He it was who collected 
together the valuable collection of paint- 
ings which now adorn the walls ; and 
among which we may mention pictures 
by Salvator Rosa, N. Poussin, Rey- 
nolds, Vandyck, Domenichino, Rubens, 
"Wouvermans, P. Veronese, Caracci, 
Claude, Rembrandt, &c. There are 
also some fine specimens of ancient 
statuary. The Test, as it flows through 
the grounds, is both wide and clear : it 
abounds with trout, and when it reaches 
Romsey is crossed by a bridge, which 
forms a pleasing object as seen from 
the park. The dairy, standing at the 
end of the shady walk, is a very pic- 
turesque little building, with its orna- 
mental statues and busts, and its sur- 
rounding willows hanging their pend- 
ent branches over the water. As an 
evidence of the accomplishments of the 
noble lord we have before spoken of, as 
well as for its intrinsic merit, we may 
here quote the inscription written by 
him for his deceased lady, and placed 
in Romsey church: — 



" TO THE MEMORY OF FRANCES, VISCOUNTESS 
PALMERSTON. 

" Whoe'er, like me, with trembling anguish 
brings 

His heart's whole treasure to fair Bris- 
tol's springs ; 

Whoe'er, like me, to worth, distress, and 
pain, 

Shall court these salutary springs in vain ; 

Condemn'd, like me, to hear the faint 
reply ; 

To mark the fading cheek, the sinking 
eye; 

From the chill brow to wipe the damp of 
death, 

And watch, in dumb despair, the short'n- 
ing breath: 

If chance should bring him to this art- 
less line, 

Let the sad mourner know his pangs 
were mine. 

u OrdainM to lose the partner of my breast, 
Whose virtue warm'd me, and whose 

beauty blest ; 
Fram'd every tie that binds the heart to 

prove, 
Her duty friendship, and her friendship 

love. 
But j^et rememb'ring that the parting 

sigh 
Appoints the just to slumber — not to die ; 
The starting tear I check'd — I kiss the 

rod, 
And not to earth resign her, but to God.'* 

There is a road from Winchester to 
Salisbury through Stockbridge. On 
the left of Sparsholt, near which the 
road passes, are the traces of an ancient 
entrenchment. The Roman road from 
Winchester to Old Sarum passes south 
of this spot. 



STOCKBRIDGE. 



103 



Stockbridge, which the traveller 
from London may reach either by the 
Andover road station, or the Winches- 
ter station, is 1 2 miles from the latter, 
and 9 miles from the former station. 
The town is situated on the high road 
from Winchester to Salisbury : a road 
from Basingstoke joins this road at the 
eastern entrance to the town, and con- 
nects it with the high road to London, 
66 i miles distant. There is a road 
to Southampton through Romsey ; to 
Poole through Romsey and Ring wood ; 
also one to Ly mington through Romsey. 

Stockbridge is situated on the left 
bank of the Anton or Test. It is a 
borough and market-town. The parish 
and borough limits coincide, and com- 
prehend 1220 acres; the population in 
1831 was 851, about one-third agri- 
cultural. The town consists of one 
street, in which are seven bridges : it 
has little trade, but is chieliy supported 
by being a considerable thoroughfare. 
There are races in the neighbourhood. 
The market is on Thursday, and there 
is a yearly fair (there w T ere formerly 
three fairs), one of the largest in the 
county for lambs. Stockbridge re- 
turned two members to parliament up 
to the passing of the Reform Act, by 
which it was disfranchised : it is a bo- 
rough by prescription ; the town-hall 
is a neat building. The living is a 
chapelry, in the diocese and archdea- 
conry of Winchester, annexed to the 
vicarage of King's Sombourn, to which 
the chapelry of Little Sombourn is also 
annexed ; their joint yearly value is 
696/; with a glebe-house. There were 



in Stockbridge in 1833 five day-schools 
with 99 children, and two Sunday- 
schools with 60 children. 

Six miles west of Stockbridge the 
road from Winchester to Salisbury 
forms an angle at Lobcombe Corner 
with the road from Andover to Salis- 
bury, and here it passes into Wiltshire. 
The remains of a Roman station, sup- 
posed to have been the Bridge of Anto- 
ninus, were observed by Mr. Gale at 
Broughton, on the left of the former 
road. 

There is another road from Winches- 
ter to Salisbury through Hursley and 
Romsey. 

The road from Winchester to Peters- 
field, and into Sussex, passes over 
Longwood Warren, through Hinton 
Ampner, Bramdean, Langridge, and 
over Strood Common ; the distance 
from Winchester to Peters field being 
18 miles. About three miles east of 
Bramdean this road crosses the Lon- 
don and Gosport road. 

At Bramdean are the remains of 
one of the palaces of the Bishops of 
Winchester. 

Brookwood Park, the seat of Wil- 
liam Greenwood, Esq., is delightfully 
situated between Bramdean and the 
London and Gosport road. Since it 
was purchased from the Earl of Malms- 
bury by the present possessor, it has 
been extensively repaired and improved 
both within and without. It enjoys the 
advantages of an elevated site, and of 
beautiful prospects over the surround- 
ing country, which is a fine sporting 
district : Brookwood is in the very centre 



101 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



of the Hampshire and Hambledon 
hunts. The house is a handsome mo- 
dern-looking building, consisting of a 
centre and two wings. On the ground 
floor in the interior is a noble and well- 
arranged suite of rooms, comprising a 
large and lofty dining-room, with con- 
servatory adjoining ; two drawing-rooms, 
library, and an excellent billiard-room. 
There are some valuable pictures by 



Cuyp, Jansen, Teniers, Canaletti, Rey- 
nolds, Hogarth, Morland, &c. 

East Meon is on the left of the 
road. The church is a large and 
interesting structure, with a Norman 
tower. The font resembles that in 
Winchester Cathedral, and is said to 
have been presented by Bishop Walke- 
lyn, founder of the church, who died in 
1098. . 



105 



CHAPTER VIIL 



SOUTHAMPTON STATION. 



This Station is the southern terminus 
of the South- Western Railway, and is 
76| miles from the London end of the 
line commencing at Nine Elms, near 
Vauxhall. Southampton is 75 miles 
west south-west of London hy the 
mail-coach road from London to Poole, 
through Alton and Alresford. South- 
ampton, from its situation, is a less 
important centre of communication 
than Winchester, as far as the turnpike- 
roads are concerned ; but the Railway 
has necessarily placed it in connexion 
with many places with which it had 
formerly but little intercourse, and 
coaches are established on new lines to 
bring passengers to this station as the 
most speedy means of journeying to 
and from London. The following places 
are in this manner immediately con- 
nected with the Southampton Station ; 
and the second column shows the time 
now occupied in travelling from each to 
London by the road and railway : — 

Distance Time ? C ™V™& 

In Hamp- to the 

Shire. Railway. 

Miles. 
Rin^wood . 
Christchurch 
Lymington • 



in performing 
the journey to 

London. 
Hrs. Mia. 



Cowes . 
Titchfield . 
Fareham 
Go sport . . 
Portsmouth 



20 
28 
16 
16 
9 
13 
17 
18 



24 
19 
59 
59 
12 
39 
6 
12 



In other 

Counties. Miles. Hrs. Min. 

., Bridport . . 71 11 6 

„ Weymouth . 64 10 19 

„ Dorchester . . 56 9 25 

„ Wareham . . 44 7 39 

„ Poole ... 36 7 12 

„ TVimborne . . 30 6 32 

The town of Southampton is built 
on an elevated gravelly piece of ground, 
lying at the head or northern extremity 
of the bay, called the Southampton 
Water, being flanked on the one side 
by the river Itchin, and on the other by 
the Test or Anton, which fall severally 
into the north-east and the north-west 
corners of the bay. Its situation, over- 
looking the sea to the south, and a very 
rich country, abounding in w 7 ater and 
woodland scenery in all other directions, 
is one of great beauty. The Southamp- 
ton Water is supposed to be the Antona 
of Tacitus, and Bittern to have been 
the Roman station Clausentum. The 
most conspicuous object which the town 
presents, when viewed from a distance, 
is a modern building, which has been 
erected over the site of the keep of the 
old castle. The town, which no doubt 
took its origin from the castle, appears 
to have sprung up in the Saxon times. 
The earliest mention of it is in the 
Saxon Chronicle, under the year 873. 
Some three or four centuries ago it was 



106 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



a place of great opulence and import- 
ance, sustained by an active trade, 
principally in wine, with France and 
Portugal. At the commencement of 
the present century its commercial con- 
sequence had much decayed ; but its 
prosperity has been for some time reviv- 
ing, and it has again become a flourishing 
town, containing, according to the last 
census, not much under twenty thousand 
inhabitants : in the twenty years between 
1811 and 1831 the population more than 
doubled. The South-Western Railway 
has already proved of great benefit to the 
local interests of the town, and a Dock 
Company, which was incorporated in 
1836, promises to realise important com- 
mercial advantages, not only to the 
town but to other parts of the country. 
Southampton possesses perhaps the. 
finest harbour for merchantmen on the 
southern coast, and the formation of 
docks will add very much to its value 
and importance. The project of form- 
ing docks was conceived under the im- 
pression that the railway system would be 
so far carried out, as to connect the great 
trading and manufacturing stations 
of the midland and northern counties 
with the southern coast, when the ad- 
vantages as a port of shipment presented 
by Southampton in preference to London 
would be sufficiently apparent. It was 
also imagined that Southampton being 
brought by means of its railway within 
three hours and a half (it is thus we 
must henceforth speak of distances,) of 
the Metropolis, might become, in some 
degree, the port of London for ships 
arriving from and sailing to the west- 



ward. Vast as is the consumption of 
foreign and colonial goods in London, 
by far the greater part of those goods 
which now ascend the Thames are dis- 
tributed afterwards to various, and fre- 
quently distant, parts of the country. 
The anticipated formation of railway 
lines would allow of this distribution 
being better made in many cases from 
Southampton, and it is agreed on all 
hands that the advantage to the owners 
of ships from terminating their voyage 
at Southampton, rather than proceed- 
ing through the Straits of Dover to the 
Thames, would be exceedingly great. 
The expense, both in time and in money, 
that would thus be saved would be so 
much gain to the country at large.* 

So long ago as 1379 a Genoese mer- 
chant undertook to render Southamp- 
ton a great shipping port, but the 
projector is said to have been assas- 
sinated. The proposed docks are in- 
tended to receive vessels of the largest 
class and steam-vessels. The facilities 
of travelling to London by the Railway 
have lately induced the owners of one 
of the great Trans- Atlantic steam ships 
to select Southampton as a station in- 
stead of Portsmouth. The passage up 
Channel from off Cowes to London by 
steam-boat requires an average of 28 
hours, but by means of the Railway 
the journey may be accomplished in 
from 4 to 5 hours. These facilities have 
also rendered Southampton the most 
convenient port for steam-boats for 
Plymouth, Guernsey, Jersey, St. Malo, 

# Companion to British Almanac for 1S3S. 



SOUTHAMPTON. 



107 



Granville and Havre. The number of 
foreign ships entering the port of 
Southampton yearly is about 290, ave- 
rage tonnage 31,000; and about 1500 
coasting vessels. The amount of Cus- 
toms' duty collected at the port in 1839 
was £58,296. The trade with France 
and Portugal is considerable ; also with 
the Baltic ports and Canada. The 
coasting trade is still more active ; corn 
is imported from Wales, coals from the 
Tyne, and there is a brisk commercial 
interchange with the Channel Islands. 
Between London and Southampton 
there are six regular trading smacks 
and schooners, each of about 100 tons 
register, making upon an average 
two trips per week. Cowes is the 
station of the Royal Yacht Club ; and 
there are several yards for building 
coasting vessels, yachts and steam- 
boats. In 1837 a floating bridge was 
established between the opposite shores 
of the Itchin. 

During the ninth and tenth centuries 
the Danes frequently ravaged Southamp- 
ton, but when Canute had succeeded 
in displacing the posterity of Egbert 
from the sovereignty of England, he 
reigned for twenty years in peace, 
making Southampton his occasional 
residence. The beautiful incident of 
the rebuke which he gave to the flattery 
of his courtiers, and which is mentioned 
by all our old writers, is said to have 
occurred while staying at Southampton. 
The town enjoyed a considerable trade 
with France during the reign of the 
Norman kings, and down to the end of 
the 16th centurv. The merchants of 



London were so jealous of its commercial 
importance that they procured an order 
directing that wine from the Canaries 
should be landed only in the Thames. 
In the 14th century, it was twice at- 
tacked by the French, and it was the 
frequent rendezvous of the fleets carry- 
ing troops for the war which the English 
were waging in France. In the early 
part of the following century the array 
which fought at Agin court embarked 
at Southampton ; and two years after- 
wards a second army destined for 
France encamped near the town. In 
the 1 6th century the town was visited 
by the Emperor Charles V., by Edward 
VI., Philip of Spain, and Queen Eliza- 
beth. Charles I. resided at Southamp- 
ton some time. 

Southampton was once fortified and 
defended by double ditches, battlements, 
and watch-towers. The curious relic of 
ancient architecture represented in the 
cut (p. 109) crosses the principal street 
of the town of Southampton, called the 
High-street, or English-street, at the 
point where the town is considered to ter- 
minate and the suburbs to commence. 
It is, in fact, one of the gates of the wall 
by w T hich the town was formerly sur- 
rounded, and considerable portions of 
which are still standing, while the 
line can be distinctly traced throughout 
its whole extent. Of several gates, how- 
ever, by which these encompassing 
fortifications were anciently adorned, 
the Bar Gate is the only one that now 
remains. 

Among the Saxons, what we now call 
a gate was commonly called a bar, the 



108 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 










SOUTHAMPTON. 



109 




[The Bar Gate, Southampton.] 



term gate being used to describe the 
street or road itself, as it still is in 
Scotland. Of the old application of the 
word bar we have instances in Temple 
Bar, Holborn Bar, and Smithfield Bar, 
or Bars, in London. The Bar-gate, the 
name by which the structure at South- 
ampton is commonly known, seems to 
be a corruption which had arisen from 
the continued use of the term bar, after 
its original meaning had been forgotten. 
High-street, or English-street, runs 
nearly due south and north, and is in 
all about three-quarters of a mile in 
length, of which two- thirds are below or 
to the south of the Bar Gate. The re- 
maining portion is called High-street 
above Bar. Leland the antiquary, in 
the middle of the sixteenth century, 
describes this as one of the fairest 
streets in England ; ^and its length, 



straightness, and spaciousness, together 
with the character of its buildings, still 
entitle it to that encomium. But its 
proudest ornament is the imposing 
structure already noticed. The most 
ancient part of the Bar Gate consists 
of a massive semicircular arch, which 
is undoubtedly to be referred to the 
early Norman, if not to the Saxon 
times. Beyond this, on the north side, 
has been subsequently erected a high 
and pointed arch, richly adorned with 
mouldings. The whole of this front 
now forms a sort of semi-octagon (or 
the half of an eight-sided figure), ter- 
minated at each extremity by a semi- 
circular tower. Each of these towers 
has been perforated in modern times 
by a doorway crossing the foot-path at 
the side of the street ; but anciently 
they seem to have had lateral entrances 



110 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



(which are now built up) from under 
the arch. The south front, or that 
which looks to the town, appears to be 
in a more modern style of architecture 
than any other part of the gate. The 
structure indeed has undergone altera- 
tions at different times in almost every 
part ; and some of the decorations which 
have been added to it are far from being 
in the best taste. The ancient battle- 
ments, however, by which the whole is 
crowned, have escaped such innovation 
and disfigurement; and their aspect is 
remarkably majestic and venerable. The 
part of the building immediately over 
the arch is occupied by the town-hall, 
which is a room 52 feet in length by 21 
in breadth; and over this are spacious 
leads, from which there is an extensive 
view of the town and the surrounding 
country. 

Among other decorations on the north 
front of the gate are two figures, said 
by tradition to represent the famous 
hero of romance, Sir Bevis of Hampton, 
and the giant Ascapard, whom he slew 
in single combat. The reader may re- 
collect an allusion to Ascapard, or As- 
cabart, as he is there called, in the first 
canto of Scott's Lady of the Lake, which 
the author has illustrated by a quotation 
from an ancient manuscript copy of the 
* Romance of Sir Bevis.' The following 
is the modernised version of the same 
passage, which is given by Ellis in his 
4 Specimens of the Early Romances :' — 

il This giant was mighty and strong, 
And full thirty feet was long. 
He was bristled like a sow ; 
A foot he had between each brow; 



His lips were great and hung aside ; 
His eyen were hollow, his mouth was 

wide; 
Lothly he was to look on than, 
And liker a devil than a man : 
His staff was a young oak, — 
Hard and heavy was his stroke." 

Of Sir Bevis there are other memo- 
rials at Southampton besides the figure 
on the Bar Gate, especially an artificial 
elevation called Bevis Mount, which 
seems anciently to have been fortified. 
The castle stood on the western side of 
the town, and some remains exist of a 
large building which is believed to have 
been the palace of the Saxon and Danish 
kings. 

The town and adjacent district were 
erected into a county at a remote period, 
and the boundaries, which are marked 
with great accuracy, were fixed so early 
as the reign of King John. The shape 
of this district is that of an irregular 
triangle, one side of which is formed by 
the river Anton and the other by the 
Itch in, the land boundary being the 
base of the triangle. Under the Muni- 
cipal Reform Act, Southampton is di- 
vided into five wards, and governed by 
a mayor, ten aldermen, and thirty coun- 
cillors. The mayor has an extensive 
maritime jurisdiction. The recorder 
tries offenders at the local quarter ses- 
sions, except in capital cases ; and the 
same officer presides over the local court 
for the recovery of small debts. The 
five parishes were united for the admi- 
nistration of the poor law in 1776. A 
police has been established on the 
model of the metropolitan police force. 



SOUTHAMPTON. 



Ill 



Before the passing of the Reform Act, 
the inhabitants paying scot and lot had i 
the right of voting for the two members 
returned to parliament, and the number 
of electors was about 1700. In 1831, 
out of 3502 houses in the town and 
county, 1667 were of the annual value 
of 10/. and upwards. Many large and 
well-built houses have been erected 
within the last ten years. The princi- 
pal streets are spacious and well-paved. 
The number of streets is about forty. 

Among the most important public 
buildings and institutions are the Mar- 
ket House, in the High-street, and 
which comprises the Audit House, 
where the business of the corporation 
is transacted ; the Custom House, 
situated upon the quay ; five parish 
churches, namely, St. Michael's, All 
Saints, Holy Rood, St. Lawrence, and 
St. Mary's. St. Paul's, built in 1829, 
in the Gothic style, is a proprietary 
chapel. A chapel for Roman Catholics 
was erected in 1830 ; and the Independ- 
ents. Baptists, Wesleyan Methodists, 
Society of Friends, Primitive Method- 
ists, and followers of the late Mr. Irving, 
have places of worship. The Jewish 
worship is performed in a private house, 
and a place of worship has been esta- 
blished for the seamen frequenting the 
port. Trinity Chapel is connected with 
a female penitentiary. The free gram- 
mar-school in Bugle-street was founded 
by Edward VI. Since the boys in the 
Royal Military Asylum have been 
transferred to Chelsea, the building 
which they occupied has been appropri- 
ated for the girls belonging to the same 



institution, who are chiefly orphans of 
soldiers. The National School w 7 as es- 
tablished about the close of the last 
century, and the Royal British School, 
on the Lancasterian system, was en- 
larged in 1837, and is capable of accom- 
modating above 300 scholars. There 
are several infant schools, one of them 
large enough for several hundred chil- 
dren. There is a school for navigation, 
founded in 1760 by Alderman Taunton. 
St. John's Hospital was founded in 1671 
for instructing six boys in the woollen 
trade : the institution has been trans- 
ferred by the corporation to the guar- 
dians of the poor. An orphan-school 
was established in 1837. The County 
Female Penitentiary w 7 as established in 
182S on the plan of the Magdalen 
Hospital in London, and is capable 
of receiving thirty females. The me- 
dical charities are the Dispensary, 
the South Hants Infirmary, a lying-in 
charity, and there is a society for the 
rescue and recovery of drowned persons. 
Nearly all the great institutions of the 
present age for circulating the Bible, 
religious books and tracts, and for pro- 
moting missions, have branches in 
Southampton. 

No public library has as yet been es- 
tablished in Southampton, though many 
towns less than one-half its size, and 
much less wealthy, have enjoyed the 
advantages of such an institution for 
above half a century. The Literary and 
Scientific Institution was established in 
182 7, and a museum is forming by the 
members. The Mechanics' Institution 
dates its, existence from 1830. There 



112 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



has been an annual exhibition of paint- 
ings, statuary, and drawings, since 1827. 
The theatre is opened annually for seve- 
ral months. 

The pier, erected in 1832, is a fa- 
vourite promenade ; and as a proof of 
the increasing prosperity of the town 
and the effect of the railway in bringing 
visitors to it, we may mention that the 
tolls at the pier let for 700/. more in 
1840 than in the previous year. Con- 
certs and balls are held at the Long 
Rooms, erected in 1749, and at the 
Victoria Rooms, built in 1833. The 
^rounds attached to the latter afford 
pleasing views of the river, and are 
much resorted to as a lounge. A re- 
gatta and races take place annually in 
the bathing season. Bathing-machines, 
swimming-baths, and all other means 
of ablution applicable either to the in- 



valid or the robust, are provided for 
those who resort to Southampton as a 
watering-place. 

Letters are despatched to and from 
London by the railway twice a- day. 
The night mail from London reaches 
Southampton at forty minutes past 
eleven. 

The road from Southampton to Gos- 
port passes through Bursledon'^and 
Titchfield. At a distance of about 3 
miles from Southampton are the ruins 
of Netley Abbey. 

Netley (or Nettley) Abbey has long 
been celebrated as one of the most pic- 
turesque ruins in England. The proper 
name of the place appears, as*Leland 
has noted it in his Collectanea (vol. i. 
p. 69), to be Letteley, which has been 
Latinised into de Lceto Loco (pleasant 
place), if it be not, as has been most 




[Ruins of Netley Abl ey.] 



SOUTHAMPTON. 



113 



commonly supposed, a corruption of 
this Latin designation. The founder 
of Netley Abbey is stated by Leland to 
have been Peter Roche, Bishop of Win- 
chester, who died in 1238. The monks 
of Netley Abbey belonged to the severe 
order of the Cistertians, and were origi- 
nally brought from the neighbouring 
house of Eeaulieu. Hardly anything 
has been collected with regard to the 
establishment for the first 300 years 
after its foundation, except the names 
of a few of the abbots. At the dissolu- 
tion it consisted of an abbot and twelve 
monks, and its net revenue was re- 
turned at only about 100/. It appears, 
indeed, to have been always a humble 
and obscure establishment. Nor did 
the riches of the good monks consist in 
their library. Leland found them pos- 
sessed of only one book, which was a 
copy of Cicero's Treatise on Rhetoric. 
In 1537 the place was granted by the 
king to Sir William Paulet, afterwards 
the celebrated Marquis of Winchester. 
It has since been successively in the 
possession of various other families. 

Netley Abbey is now a complete ruin, 
nothing remaining except a part of the 
bare walls. It stands on the declivity 
of a gentle elevation, which rises from 
the bank of the Southampton Water. 
The walk to it from the town of South- 
ampton, of about 3 miles in length, is 
one of enchanting beauty, the surround- 
ing landscape being rich in all the 
charms of water and woodland scenery. 
The abbey itself is so embosomed among 
foliage, — partly that of the oaks and 
other trees which rise in thick clumps 



around it, and some of which, springing 
up from the midst of the rootless walls, 
spread their waving branches over them, 
and partly that of the luxuriant ivy 
which clothes a great part of the grey 
stone in green,— that scarcely a frag- 
ment of it is visible till the visitor has 
got close beside it. The site of the 
ruin, however, is one of considerable 
extent. Originally the buildings seem 
to have formed a quadrangular court 
or square ; but scarcely anything more 
is now to be seen, except the remains 
of the church or chapel which occupied 
one of the sides. It appears to have 
been about 200 feet in length by 60 in 
breadth, and to have been crossed at 
the centre by a transept of 120 feet 
long. The walls can still be distinctly 
traced throughout the whole of this ex- 
tent, except in the northern portion of 
the transept. The roof, however, as 
we have said, no longer exists, having 
fallen in about forty years ago. Its 
fragments, many of them sculptured 
with armorial bearings and other de- 
vices, lie scattered in heaps over the 
floor. Many broken columns still re- 
main ; and there are also windows in 
different portions of the wall, the orna- 
mental parts of which are more or less 
defaced, but which still retain enough 
of their original character to show that 
the building must have been one of no 
common architectural beauty. The east 
end is the most entire, and the great 
window here is of elegant proportions 
and elaborately finished. Besides the 
church, various other portions of the 
abbey, such as the kitchen, the refec* 



in 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



tory, &c, are usually pointed out to 
strangers ; but the conjectures by which 
these apartments are identified must be 
considered as of very doubtful authority. 
The whole place appears to have been 
surrounded by a moat, of which traces 
are still discernible ; and two large 
ponds still remain at a short distance 
from the buildings, which no doubt 
used to supply fish to the pious inmates. 
Their retired and undisturbed waters 
now present an aspect of solitude which 
is extremely beautiful, overhung as 
they are by trees and underwood. 
About 200 feet distance from the west 
end of the church, and nearer the water, 
is a small building called Netley Castle 
or Fort, which was erected by Henry 
VIII. 

But the chief attraction of Netley 
Abbey must be understood to consist,' 
not so much in any architectural mag- 
nificence of which it has to boast, as in 
the singular loveliness of the spot, and 
in the feelings inspired by the over- 
thrown and desolate state of the seat 
of ancient piety. No mind having any 
imagination, or feeling for the pictu- 
resque and the poetical, but must 
deeply feel the effect of its lonely and 
mournful, yet exquisitely beautiful se- 
clusion. It has accordingly been the 
theme of many verses, among which an 
elegy, written by Mr. George Keate, 
the author of the Account of the Pelew 
Islands and Prince Le Boo, was at one 
time much admired. A living poet, the 
Rev. Mr. Bowles, has also addressed 
the ruin in some lines of considerable 
tenderness, which we shall subjoin : — 



" Fallen pile ! I ask not what has been thy 

fate ; 
But when the weak winds, wafted from 

the main, 
Through each lone arch, like spirits that 

complain, 
Come hollow to my ear, I meditate 
On this world's passing pageant, and the 

lot 
Of those who once might proudly, in their 

prime, 
Have stood with giant port ; till, bowed 

by time 
Or injury, their ancient boast forgot, 
They might have sunk like thee; though 

thus forlorn, 
They lift their heads, with venerable hairs 
Besprent, majestic yet, and as in scorn 
Of mortal vanities and short-lived cares : 
E'en so dost thou, lifting thy forehead 

g^y, 
Smile at the tempest and time's sweeping 

sway." 

The windings of the Hamble river 
and the wooded hills which gently recede 
from its margin, render the road near 
Bursledon very pleasing. Ships of 
war were built at this small place in 
the reign of William III. Passing 
through the village of Houghton and 
over the common, we reach Titchfleld, 
in a valley watered by a stream called 
the Aire. The road next passes through 
Rowner and Crofton to Gosport. 

A road from the Southampton and 
Gosport road branches off at Titch field, 
and runs parallel to the coast to Chi- 
chester, passing through Fareham, along 
the foot of Portsdown Hill, through 
Wimmering, Cosham, Havant, and 
Emsworth ; crossing the London and 



SOUTHAMPTON. 



115 



Gosport road at Fareham, and the 
London and Portsmouth road at Cos- 
ham. The places through which the 
road passes have already been noticed. 

The road from Southampton to Salis- 
bury divides into two branches about 
a mile from Southampton, and again 
unites after passing out of the county. 
One branch passes through Romsey, 
and the other through Rumbridge. 
Testwood House, the seat of the Rt. 
Hon. Sturges Bourne; Tatebury Mount, 
commanding an extensive view of the 
beautiful scenery in the neighbourhood 
of Southampton Water ; and Paulton's 
Park, embracing an enclosure of 5 miles, 
•diversified with woods and lawns, are 
situated between these roads. There is 
also a third road to Salisbury, which 
skirts the north-western parts of the 
New Forest. 

There is a road from Southampton to 
Lymington and Christchurch, between 
which latter places it runs parallel to 
the coast. The Southampton and Poole 
road crosses the head of Southampton 
Water, and passes through Ringwood. 
The road from Southampton to Ford- 
ingbridge is by a branch of one of the 
roads from Southampton to Salisbury. 
These roads will be more particularly 
noticed in the following chapter. 

The tourist who makes Southampton 
his head-quarters for a short time, may 
make several pleasant excursions in the 
neighbourhood, and thus enjoy at the 
same time the pleasures of a country 
ramble and those which the town af- 
fords as a watering-place. Horses and 



vehicles may be hired at a moderate 
rate. 

The village of Itchin, on the 
eastern banks of the river, chiefly 
supplies Southampton with fish, which 
is taken to market by the fishermen's 
wives. The railway will be of great 
advantage to the fisheries on the 
south-western coasts of England, by 
giving them access to the London 
market, the supply being brought 
by steam-boats, and then despatched 
by the goods-trains in time for Bil- 
lingsgate-market. Pear Tree Green, 
an eminence commanding views of the 
valley of the Itchin, Southampton, and 
Southampton Water, should be visited 
in the same excursion. Passing Ridg- 
way Castle, we reach a common of con- 
siderable extent, on the left of which is 
Chissel, a seat belonging to Lord Ash- 
town, soon after which we cross Nor- 
tham bridge. Several ships of war 
were built at Northam during the last 
war. The South-Western Railway is 
carried over a bend of the river just 
above the bridge. The Priory of St. 
Dionysius is on the banks of the river, 
at no great distance. It was founded 
by Henry I. for Augustinian or Black 
Canons. Its yearly revenues at the 
dissolution were valued at 91/. 9s. 
gross, or 80/. lis. 6d. clear. The ruins 
are of small extent, and appear to have 
formed the west end of the Priory 
church. The Voad from Northam 
bridge leads directly to Southampton, 
passing Bittern Manor House, the site 
of the Roman station Clausentum — a 
i 2 



116 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



name which Mr. Warner derives from 
clausus, shut up, and intus, within. 
Bittern was anciently a castle belonging 
to the Bishops of Winchester. 

Another pleasant excursion may be 
made to Fareham over Netley Com- 
mon, returning by Wickham, Bishop's 
Waltham, Waltham Chace, and Botley* 
Waltham Chace is a waste of 2000 acres, 
belonging to the Bishop of Winchester. 
This chace or forest was in the early 
part of the last century infested by a 
formidable and resolute gang of deer- 
steal ers, who called themselves " hunt- 
ers," but were more generally known 
by the name of the " Waltham Blacks, 1 ' 
because they blackened their faces in 
their predatory enterprises. They are 
mentioned by this name in the Act of 
Parliament which was passed against 
them, and which was therefore, as well 
as from its extreme severity, called the 
Black Act. This Act declared more 



deeds to be felonies than had ever before 
been comprehended in a single statute. 
On this account, when Bishop Hoadly 
was advised to re-stock Waltham Park, 
he refused, observing that " it had done 
mischief enough already.'* Gilbert 
White, writing in 1767, says, "Our old 
race of deer-stealers are hardly extinct 
yet ;" but at the beginning of the cen- 
tury he remarks that " all this country 
was wild about deer-stealing." On 
leaving Botley, the road crosses Town 
Hill Common, the views from which 
present a pleasing view of undulating 
hills, which are in many parts well 
wooded. 

Other excursions may be made to 
South and North Stoneham ; and to 
Romsey, through Shirley and Nutshall- 
ing ; also to the New Forest, an ac- 
count of which is given in the next 
chapter. 



117 



CHAPTER IX. 



THE NEW FOREST. 



Few spots of England are more inte- 
resting or more worthy of being visited 
than that portion of Hampshire which 
is known by the general name of the 
New Forest. To those who seek health 
in travel it offers the finest atmo- 
sphere that can be breathed in any 
part of England; to the lover of 
scenery it presents alternations of 
wild and woodland, upon which there is 
no trace of the hand of man, yet with 
iuterspersions of exquisite retreats and 
highly cultivated patches here and 
there, which form, with the surrounding 
woods and wildernesses, the most de- 
lightful contrast that can well be ima- 
gined. To the lover of nature it has 
many attractions, both in its vegetation 
and in its animals. The oaks, it is 
true, seldom rise into lofty stems ; but 
their branches are commonly twisted 
into picturesque forms. Many of the 
trees are ancient and of great bulk. — 
Mr. Gilpin remarks {Forest Scenery), 
that the New Forest oaks " seem to have 
a character peculiar to themselves. They 
seldom rise into lofty stems, as oaks 
usually do in richer soils, but their 
branches, which are more adapted to 
what the ship-builders call knees and 
elbows, are commonly twisted into the 



most picturesque forms. Besides, the 
New Forest oak is not so much loaded 
with foliage as the trees of a richer soil." 
The New Forest also abounds in beech, 
which grows to a large size. The most 
interesting part of the Forest, in a pic- 
turesque view, is that comprised between 
the Beaulieu River and the Bay of 
Southampton ; the water prospects are 
very grand, and the banks, both of the 
river and bay, being richly decorated with 
woody scenery, give them a peculiarly 
beautiful character. In noble distances 
and grand forest scenes, the northern 
division of this tract is the most striking. 
There is no doubt now that the comple- 
tion of the South Western Railway has 
brought Southampton within three 
hours' distance of London, that num- 
bers of people will seek health and 
freshness and rural enjoyment upon the 
balmy and beautiful shores of this de- 
lightful portion of the kingdom. 

HISTORY. 

The New Forest appears to have 
been, at the time of the Conquest, 
a wooded tract thinly peopled. William 
the Conqueror, or his immediate suc- 
cessors, afforested the tract extending 
from Godshill, near Fordingbridge, to 



118 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



the sea, and from Ringwood to Hard- 
ley, near Southampton Water, and 
comprehending 92,365 acres. The 
bounds were so far enlarged between 
the commencement of Henry II.'s 
reign and the reign of Edward I., that 
they comprehended all the country be- 
tween the Southampton Water and the 
Avon for several miles inland. These 
additions were disafforested in the reign 
of Edward I, in pursuance of the Charta 
de Foresta, and the original bounds 
retained till the perambulation in the 
time of Charles IT. 

Nearly all our historians and annal- 
ists concur in stating that William, 
in afforesting this extensive district, de- 
stroyed a great number of villages and 
churches, drove away the inhabitants, 
and laid waste a tract of country of no 
less than 30 miles in circuit ; and look 
on the fact of two of his sons, and his 
grandson, having lost their lives in this 
forest, as the judgment of God for his 
cruel and tyrannous proceedings. The 
acute sense and sceptical inclinations of 
Voltaire rendered him the first writer 
who doubted the probability of the facts 
thus unhesitatingly put forth as to the 
destruction of towns and villages, which 
he did in his abridgment of * Universal 
History.' Dr.Wharton, in his • Essay on 
the Writings and Genius of Pope,' con- 
curred with Voltaire in opinion ; and since 
that time the subject has been amply dis- 
cussed. Gilpin, in his 'Remarks on 
Forest Scenery; has laboured in defence 
of the early writers, while Warner, in his 
'Collections for the history of Hamp- 
shire,* joins in pronouncing William's 



acquittal. The general arguments in 
favour of the king are, that the writers 
on whose authority the facts rest were 
monks, all highly exasperated against 
him, and greatly offended at the exac- 
tions he had made on their monaste- 
ries ; that the assertions of one annalist 
are frequently adopted by many, who, 
either from want of inclination or talent, 
did not pursue the proper means of ex- 
tending their inquiries; that no par- 
ticular era is marked by these annal- 
ists (who are at other times precise in 
dates) at which these cruelties took 
place ; that there is no mention of them 
in the ' Saxon Chronicle,' the author of 
the latter part of which was indisputably 
contemporaneous with William, and 
who viewed all his vices and crimes 
with a severe eye ; that the district be- 
ing at the time thinly peopled, it is un- 
likely that places of public worship were 
so liberally scattered ; and that it was 
not necessary, notwithstanding its pri- 
vileges, that a forest should be depopu- 
lated; the forest laws being, both in. 
their original form and in their amended 
state, enacted rather for restricting and 
punishing those who dwelt within the 
limits of those scenes of royal diversion, 
than for those who dwelt without them. 

The 'Pictorial History of England ' 
(vol. i. p. 401) describes the popular 
feeling of the day in reference to the 
catastrophe which befel William Rufus 
in the New Forest : — 

•' Popular superstition had long 
darkened the shades and solitudes 
of the New Forest, and peopled its 
glades with horrid spectres. The fiend 



THE KEW FOREST. 



119 



himself, it was said and believed, 
had appeared there to the Normans, 
announcing the punishment he had in 
reserve for the Red King and his wicked 
counsellors. The accidents that hap- 
pened in that chace, which had been so 
barbarously obtained, gave strength to 
the vulgar belief. In the month of 
May, Richard, an illegitimate son of 
Duke Robert, was killed while hunting 
in the forest by an arrow, reported to 
have been shot at random. This was 
the second time that the Conqueror's 
blood had been poured out there, and 
men said it would not be the last time. 
On the 1st of August following, William 
lay at Malwood-keep, a hunting-seat 
in the forest,* with a goodly train of 
knights. A reconciliation had taken 
place between the two brothers, and 
the astucious Henry, who had been 
sometime in England, was of the gay 
party. The circumstances of the story, 
as told by the monkish chroniclers, are 
sufficiently remarkable. At the dead 

* The Red King lies in Malwood-keep, 
To drive the deer o'er lawn and steep, 

He's bound him with the morn. 
His steeds are swift, his hounds are good; 
The like, in covert or high-wood, 
Were never cheer'd with horn. 

W. Stewart Rose. 

'Malwood Castle, or Keep, seated upon an 
eminence, embosomed in wood, at a small distance 
from the village of JMinstead, in the New Forest, 
was the residence of this prince when he met w T ith 
the accident which terminated his life. No 
remains of it exist; but the circumference of a 
building is to be traced; and it yet gives its name 
to the walk in which it was situated.'— Notes to the 
* Red King.' — This spirited and beautiful poem 
is published in the same volume with ' Parteuopex 
de Blois.' 



of night the king was heard invoking 
the Blessed Virgin, a thing strange in 
him ; and then he called aloud for lights 
in his chamber. His attendants ran at 
his call, and found him disturbed by a 
frightful vision, to prevent the return 
of which he ordered them to pass the 
rest of the night by his bedside, and 
divert him with pleasant talk. As he 
was dressing in the morning an artisan 
brought him six new arrows : he exa- 
mined them, praised the workmanship, 
and keeping four for himself, gave the 
other two to Sir Walter Tyrrel, other- 
wise called, from his estates in France, 
Sir Walter de Poix, saying, as he pre- 
sented them, ' Good weapons are due 
to the sportsman that knows how to 
make a good use of them.'* The tables 
were spread with an abundant collation, 
and the Red King ate more meat and 
drank even more wine than he was wont 
to do. His spirits rose to their highest 
pitch ; his companions still passed the 
wine-cup, whilst the grooms and hunts- 
men prepared their horses and hounds for 
the chase ; and all was boisterously gay 
in Malwood-keep, when a messenger ar- 
rived from Serlon, the Norman Abbot of 
St. Peter's, at Gloucester, to inform the 
king that one of his monks had dreamt 
a dream foreboding a sudden and awful 
death to him. ' The man is a right 
monk,' cried Rufus, ' and to have a 
piece of money he dreameth such 
things. Give him, therefore, an hun- 
dred pence, and bid him dream of better 
fortune to our person.' Then turning 
to Tyrrel, he said, * Do they think I am 

* Orderic. Vital. 



120 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



one of those fools that give up their 
pleasure or their business because an 
old woman happens to dream or sneeze ? 
To horse, Walter de Poix !' 

81 The king, with his brother Henry, 
William de Breteuil, and many other 
lords and knights, rode into the forest, 
where the company dispersed here and 
there, after the manner used in hunt- 
ing ; but Sir Walter, his especial favour- 
ite in these sports, remained constantly 
near the king, and their dogs hunted 
together. As the sun was sinking low 
in the west a hart came bounding by, 
between Rufus and his comrade, who 
stood concealed in the thickets. The 
king drew his bow, but the string broke, 
and the arrow took no effect. Startled 
by the sound, the hart paused in his 
speed and looked on all sides, as if doubt- 
ful which way to turn. The king, 
keeping his attention on the quarry, 
raised his bridle hand above his eyes, 
that he might see clear by shading 
them from the glare of the sun, which 
now shone almost horizontally through 
the glades of the forest ; and at the 
time being unprovided with a second 
bow, he shouted, * Shoot, Walter ! — 
shoot, in the devil's name.'* Tyrrel 
drew his bow,— the arrow departed, was 
glanced aside in its flight by an inter- 
vening tree, and struck William*in the 
left breast, which was left exposed by 
his raised arm. The fork-head pierced 
his heart, and with une groan, and no 
word or prayer uttered, the Red King 



* "Trahe, trahe arcum ex parte diaboli." 
Hen. Knyghton. 



fell and expired. Sir Walter Tyrrel 
ran to his master's side, but, finding 
him dead, he remounted his horse, and, 
without informing any one of the cata- 
strophe, galloped to the sea-coast, em- 
barked for Normandy, whence he lied 
for sanctuary into the dominions of the 
French king, and soon after departed 
for the Holy Land. According to an 
old chronicler, the spot where Rufus fell 
had been the site of an Anglo-Saxon 
church which his father, the Conqueror, 
had pulled down and destroyed for the 
enlargement of his chace.* Late in the 
evening the royal corpse was found, 
alone, where it fell, by a poor charcoal- 
burner^ who put it, still bleeding, into 
his cart, and drove towards Winchester. 
At the earliest report of his death, his 
brother Henry flew to seize the royal 
treasury, and the knights and favourites 
who had been hunting in the forest dis- 
persed in several directions to look after 
their interest, not one of them caring 
to render the last sad honours to their 
master. The next day the body, still 
in the charcoal-maker's cart, and defiled 
with blood and dirt, w 7 as carried to St. 
Swithin's, the cathedral church of 
Winchester. There, however, it was 
treated with proper respect, and buried 
in the centre of the cathedral choir, many 



* Walter Hennyngforde, quoted in Grafton's 
Chronicle. 

f 'This man's name was Purkess. ' He is the 
ancestor of a very numerous tribe. Of his lineal 
descendants it is reported that, living on the same 
spot, they have constantly been proprietors of a 
horse and cart, but never attained to the possession 
of a team.'— Notes to the ' Red King.' 



THE NEW FOREST. 



121 



persons looking on, but few grieving. 
A proof of the bad opinion which the 
people entertained of the deceased 
is, that they interpreted the fall of a 
certain tower in the cathedral, which 
happened the following year, and covered 
his tomb with its ruins, into a sign of 
the displeasure of Heaven that he had 
received Christian burial.*'* 

Dismissing these popular notions, 
which were certainly at one time uni- 
versally prevalent, and taking a calm 
review of the circumstances of the Red 
King's death, the following conclusions 
seem to be just: — "That he was shot 
by an arrow in the New Forest,— that 
his body was abandoned and then hastily 
interred, — are facts perfectly well au- 
thenticated ; but some doubts may be 
entertained as to the precise circum- 
stances attending his death, notwith- 
standing their being minutely related 
by writers who were living at the time 
or who nourished in the course of the 
following century. Sir Walter Tyrrel 
afterwards swore, in France, that he did 
not shoot the arrow: but he was probably 
anxious to relieve himself from the 
odium of killing a king, even by accident. 
It is quite possible, indeed, that the 
event did not arise from chance, and 
that Tyrrell had no part in it. The re- 
morseless ambition of Henry might 
have had recourse to murder, or the 
avenging shaft might have been sped 
hy the desperate hand of some English- 
man, tempted by a favourable oppor- 
tunity and the traditions of the place. 

* Dr. Milner, Hist. Winchester. 



But the most charitable construction is, 
that the party were intoxicated with the 
wine they had drunk at Mai wood-keep. 
and that, in the confusion consequent 
on drunkenness, the king was hit by a 
random arrow."* 

In that part of the Forest near Stony 
Cross, at a short distance from Castle 
Malwood, formerly stood an oak which 
tradition affirmed was the tree against 
which the arrow glanced that caused 
the death of Rufus. In Leland's time 
there was a chapel near the spot, and 
Charles II. directed the tree to be encir- 
cled by a paling. Neither chapel nor 
tree now remain, but the spot on which 
the latter grew is marked by a triangu- 
lar stone about five feet high, which 
was erected by Lord Delaware, above 
eighty years ago. This monument 
bears the following inscription: — 

" Here stood the oak-tree on which an arrow, shot 
by Sir Walter Tyrre), at a stag, glanced and 
struck King William II., surnamed Rufus, on 
the breast ; of which stroke he instantly died, on 
the second of August, 1100. 

" King William II., surnamed Rufus, being slain, 
as before related, was laid in a cart belonging to 
one Purkess, and drawn from hence to Winches- 
ter, and buried in the cathedral church of that 
city. 

"That where an eventso memorable had happened 
might not hereafter be unknown, this stone was 
set up by John Lord Delaware, who had seen 
the tree growing in this place, anno 1745." 

BOUNDARIES. 

The New Forest district is an irregu- 
lar triangle, of which the three angles 
are at Calshot Castle on the east, be- 
tween the Southampton Water on the 
north-east and the Solent on the south- 

^* Pict. England, vol. i. p. 403. 



122 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 






mmmm 



mm 




[TyrrelTs Oak, near Stonoy Cios-.] 



THE NEW FOREST. 



123 



east ; the Black Hill in Rookbourn- 
down, on the borders of Wilts, on the 
north-west; and Dunley Chine, within 
about a mile and a half of Poole Har- 
bour, on the south-east : the entire 
length of the north-east and south-west 
sides of this triangle, taken on the 
straight line, may be about 25 or 26 
miles ; and that of the remaining side, 
which lies northwards inclining a little 
to the east, is about 20 miles ; but the 
triangle contained by those lines is less 
in surface than the district politically 
considered as part of Hampshire, inas- 
much as more of the surface lies without 
the lines on the south-eastern and north- 
eastern sides than lies within that on 
the western. If, however, we take the 
district as naturally bounded by the 
river Avon on the west, westward of 
which river no part of the forest ever 
extended, the surface of the triangle 
which we have named will be very 
nearly that of the forest district. Taking 
this natural view of it, it may in great 
part be said to be insulated. It is 
bounded by the sea on the south and 
south-east, from Dunley Chine to Cal- 
shot Castle ; and taking the windings 
of the coast, without reference to the 
minor estuaries, creeks, and harbours, 
the sea-beach here measures about 32 
miles. Then, on the north-east, from 
Calshot Castle up to Redbridge, where 
the river Usk falls into the Southamp- 
ton Water, the coast-line, estimated in 
the same way, is about 11 miles in 
length. Putting these together, we 
have a sea-coast of about 43 miles 
bounding this small district. Then 



again, if we take the river Avon from 
near Hale, where it enters Hampshire, 
to the entrance of Christchurch Har- 
bour, we have, without noticing the 
smaller flexures, a river boundary of 
about 22 or 23 miles ; and this, added 
to the sea boundary, gives a definite 
water-line of 66 miles, separating this 
district from every other part of Eng- 
land. Turning to the land boundary 
properly so called, we have, not includ- 
ing the flexures, above 14 miles, the 
first 5 of which, from Redbridge ta 
Cadnam, have Hampshire on the north, 
and therefore no artificial line of de- 
marcation, any more than they have a 
natural one ; but the remaining 9 miles, 
from a little to the westward of Cadnam 
to the Avon near Hale, have the county 
of Wilts on the northern side ; and as 
a high down rises in this place, it may 
be considered as the isthmus by which 
the natural district of the forest is joined 
to the rest of England; and as the prin 
cipal rivers in the forest have thei 
sources at no very great distance from 
this high down, it is a good point of 
reference in forming a general idea of 
the slopes and other surface appearance 
of the district. 

SURFACE, NATURAL APPEARANCES, GEO- 
LOGICAL FEATURES, ETC. 

From the high down betwixt Cadnam 
and Hale two heights or summit-levels 
ramify, the one ranging in irregular 
lines southward, and reaching the sea 
at High Cliff, about 2 miles to the east- 
ward of Christchurch Harbour, and the 
other ranging south-eastward by Lynd- 



124 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



hurst, and onwards between the Lyming- 
ton river on the west and the Beaulieu 
river on the east, and subsiding into 
level ground within a short distance of 
the Solent, opposite the Isle of Wight. 
These are the two principal elevations, 
or ridges of summit-level, in the Forest; 
but branches of them extend through 
the different parts of it, as one from the 
southerly ridge extends towards Lyming- 
ton, between the Forest Avon on the 
west and the Lymington river on the 
east, and a second from the same ex- 
tends along the western bank of the 
Avon to near Hurst Castle. From the 
southerly ridge a branch extends alon£ 
the margin of the Southampton Water, 
and another to the west of that, between 
the Blackwater and the Beaulieu. None, 
of those ridges are of such elevation as 
to merit the appellation even of a hill ; 
but they produce an agreeable variety 
of surface, especially in the cultivated 
parts, and in those of the Forest where 
the soil is of tolerably good quality, and 
the woods alternate with lawns. 

We have said that the margin of the 
Forest — those parts of the district which 
are private property and which probably 
never were afforested, are the most 
beautiful of the whole ; and they con- 
tribute not a little to heighten the in- 
terest of the peculiar parts of the Forest, 
from the contrast which they afford at 
exceedingly short distances. The shores 
from Redbridge along the Southampton 
Water to Calshot, and thence along the 
Solent to Hurst Castle, are unquestion- 
ably the most beautiful, and perhaps 
the most highly cultivated in the whole 



district. Along the whole of this coast* 
which may be about 26 miles in length, 
there is an exceedingly pleasing alter- 
nation of wood, open field, mansion or 
villa, and cottage or village, which, being 
near the margin of the still waters, and 
not exposed to any violent action of the 
sea or to the turbulence of storms, is 
peculiarly fresh and pleasant. Nowhere 
along this line are there any cliffs or 
bold shores ; the surface slopes gradu- 
ally down to the water's edge, and trees 
upon it thrive so well, that when the 
tide is in and the water still, the reflec- 
tion of them is given from it as from a 
faithful mirror. There is no waste of 
the land at any single point along this 
whole line of coast. On the contrary, 
there is everywhere an accumulation, so 
that the banks of sludge which margin 
the land are everywhere on the increase. 
In most places these mud-banks, which 
are of very considerable breadth at low 
water, are so soft that one cannot tra- 
verse them on foot with comfort or even 
with safety. Even when the tide is 
out, however, they do not present such 
scenes of desolation as are presented by 
the shore-banks of more turbulent seas ; 
for they are in general so much covered 
by zostera, that at low water they have 
some resemblance to green meadows. 
This " grass-like sea-weed," which is 
especially abundant on the mud-banks 
along the Solent, from Calshot Castle 
to Hurst Castle, is a very favourite food 
with many of the swimming birds, es- 
pecially with the different wild ducks, 
and this is the reason why such num- 
bers of them resort to these banks during 



THE NEW FOREST. 



125 



the inclement season. The common 
mallards and other ducks, not divers, 
which live chiefly upon vegetable food, 
frequent these banks when the tide is 
out : and this gives rise to a very severe 
and sometimes hazardous species of 
fowling among the poorer inhabitants 
of the coast, who even in the severest 
weather remain all night in their skiffs, 
or wander on the banks supported by 
their mud-pattens (boards fastened to 
their feet), and thus incapacitate them- 
selves for more regular and useful la- 
bour during the day. From Calshot 
north-eastward, along the banks of the 
Southampton Water, there is compara- 
tively little of this kind of labour, as 
the banks there are narrower ; and 
there are scarcely any streams or estu- 
aries which the birds can ascend, or 
find cover wherein to rear their broods 
during the summer. Thus the south- 
east coast of the Forest, opposite the 
Isle of Wight, is rather a peculiar coast, 
or at least it has its counterpart only in 
the harbours of Langston and Chiches- 
ter, to the eastward of Portsmouth. 
The Isle of Wight shore of the Solent, 
immediately opposite, bears no analogy 
to it, as that shore is scoured to the 
gravel and rock by the direct tide, the 
eddy of which brings and deposits the 
silt and mud upon the opposite shore of 
the New Forest. 

Some antiquaries, and among the rest 
Whittaker, in his ' History of Manches- 
ter,' who have endeavoured to draw geo- 
logical conclusions from imperfectly un- 
derstood statements in the ancient his- 
torians, have advanced the hypothesis 



that the Isle of Wight was once united 
to the New Forest at some point a few 
miles to the westward of Calshot Castle, 
where there- is a hard beach extending 
some distance into the water from the 
island side of the Solent ; but the struc- 
ture of the country in the direction of 
the heights and of the courses of the 
streams, and also all the changes which 
appear to have been brought about here 
by surface action, are against the pro- 
bability of this hypothesis, though the 
point of its truth or falsehood is not one 
which we are called upon to discuss. 
All the " hards," or gravelly beaches, 
which occur along the coasts of the 
Forest, are either continuations of simi- 
lar strata from the land itself, or they 
are accumulations of pebbles which 
have been brought by the waters at a 
time when the mud-banks were not so 
extensive as they are now. The two 
points forming the boundaries of this 
peculiar coast, and upon w T hich Henry 
VIII. 's castles of Calshot and Hurst 
are situated, are even now advancing 
gradually into the sea, and have been 
doing so ever since any observations of 
them were recorded. The deposit at 
Calshot consists chiefly of mud formed 
in the eddy westward of the castle, 
which is occasioned by both the flood 
and the ebb tide setting most strongly 
against the opposite shore in this part 
of Southampton Water. That at Hurst 
Castle is a little* more singular, as it 
forms or receives its increase upon the 
eastward side, and this exclusively of 
loose pebbles. It is probable that a 
portion of beach, more stubborn than 



125 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



the rest, ,had existed here before the 
shore to the eastward was so much 
silted up. 

The accumulation of mud along the 
coast between Calshot and Hurst Cas- 
tles, though it adds very considerably 
to the seaward edges of the banks, ap- 
pears to add very slowly, if at all, to 
the cultivated surface, or to the mea- 
dows along the little estuaries, which 
meadows have in all probability been 
formed by debris brought down by the 
streams, and rejected and returned by 
the tide. This species of formation re- 
quires however that the tidal waters 
should act with some energy, in order 
to force the debris up to the full level 
of the high water mark, or above it ; 
and this again requires some depth of 
water in the offing, and a sloping bot- 
tom of hard matter, to give the requisite 
upward impulse to the surge. On many 
places of this bank, as it now exists, 
there are not more than 5 feet of water 
at high water of spring tides, while the 
surface, as we have said, is tangled with 
zostera and other marine plants. These 
circumstances reduce the force of the 
water to almost nothing when it reaches 
the shore ; and this is the reason why 
the sea has so little influence here, 
either in the forming of dry land or in 
the destruction of that which is already 
formed. The north-east shore, along 
the Southampton Water, partakes of 
the same quiet and permanent charac- 
ter, although the banks do not extend 
so far within the high water line. They 
are pretty nearly proportioned however 
to the action of the general tide; for 



the Southampton Water being a cul-de- 
sac, which rather expands above its 
entrance, the tide in it is not so strong 
as in the thoroughfare channel of the 
Solent. These circumstances tell not 
only in the undisturbed position of the 
coast-line, but in the foliage of the 
trees, which, along all the shores of this 
character, is as fresh and green, down 
almost to the water's edge, as if it grew 
upon the banks of an inland expanse 
of the most limpid fresh water. These 
circumstances render both portions of 
the coast very delightful places either 
for a temporary sojourn or constant re- 
sidence. 

When we quit this portion of the 
shore of the Forest district, passing 
Hurst Castle, we find the shore of a 
very different character. Upon the 
general outline it is nearly as long, at 
least within Hampshire, to the west- 
ward of Hurst Castle, as to the east- 
ward of it ; and it consists of two 
bights, or inbends of the line of coast, 
one of small curvature to the westward 
of Christchurch or Hengistbury Head, 
and another and deeper one, Christ- 
church Bay, extending from the latter 
to Hurst Castle. The coast of both 
these bays is of much the same cha- 
racter, consisting of a sandy and gra- 
velly beach, upon which the water rip- 
ples or beats directly, and a cliff of 
loose tertiary matters — various clays, 
sands, and gravels immediately inward 
of that, portions of which are ever and 
anon decomposed by the joint action 
of the sea, the land Hoods, the land 
springs, and the weather— so that, 



THE NEW FOREST. 



127 



upon the whole, the sea is advancing 
upon the land. The cliff here varies 
considerably in elevation, being in some 
places more than 150 feet high, while in 
others, where small streams find their 
way to the sea, the levels at which they 
run are so low, that high water flows 
up them for some distance, and gives 
them the aspect of little arms of the 
sea. As the sides of these are gene- 
rally well wooded, either with trees or 
with coppice, they form an agreeable 
contrast with the comparatively treeless 
surface of the intervening high grounds, 
which, though generally under culture 
near the cliffs, gradually pass into a 
bleak furzy moor, which forms the 
southern part of the Forest. In the 
cliffs along this shore of the Forest 
district there are numerous fossil shells, 
found chiefly in a stiff tertiary clay, 
which is probably an estuarial forma- 
tion, containing fossils both of the fresh 
water and of the salt, as is the case with 
the strata north of the chalk ridge in 
the Isle of Wight. 

The beds containing fossils, in the 
tertiary formation, extend a very con- 
siderable way northwards through the 
Forest, though of course, as their natu- 
ral position is at some height above the 
chalk, they crop out long before we 
arrive at the chalk ridges of Hants and 
Wilts to the north. The direction of 
these through the whole extent of the 
Forest, from the cliff in the south to the 
most northerly situation in which they 
are discovered, has not been satisfacto- 
rily traced. 

There is one matter worthy of our 



notice in'this singular district, and that 
is the great disproportion between the 
dells or ravines in which the brooks and 
small rivers run toward the sea, and 
the small quantity of water in those 
rivers, even when they are swollen by 
the heaviest rains. At present, the most 
turbulent of them — and none of them 
are very turbulent — does not disturb a 
rod of ground to the depth of a foot in 
the course of the most stormy year ; and 
yet one and all, and more especially 
those trifling ones which find their exit 
in Christchurch Bay, How along dells of 
considerable magnitude. In order to 
account for this, we must suppose that, 
at some period of its history, the New 
Forest, and indeed the whole of the 
country, must have been far more thickly 
wooded, and in every respect more hu- 
mid than it is at the present time ; be- 
cause, from the similarity of the strata 
on both sides of these dells, and the fact 
that the ends of those strata are cut on 
the opposite sides, it follows as a matter 
of course that the dells must have been 
formed by surface action, and in nowise 
by any geological force, that is, by any 
upheaving or depressing from causes 
acting below — for when such causes 
operate, they bend the strata and alter 
their inclinations, instead of simply cut- 
ting them asunder, as is done by sur- 
face action, and is here exhibited. The 
dells also through which those little 
brooks flow are larger and deeper, in 
proportion to the quantity of water in the 
brooks, than the valleys of the larger 
rivers in this part of the country, — the 
Avon, the Teste, and the Itchin ; and 



128 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



from the character of the surface, none 
of those little rivers could have been 
assisted in forming its dell by the outlet 
of any lake or large portion of water, 
such as we find in countries of different 
geological formation, and such as may 
have taken place in the case of the larger 
rivers in this part of England, in the 
valleys of which there are at least pretty 
clear indications of obstacles which have 
been worn through by the action of the 
waters, as for instance, in the disruption 
of the chalk strata, on the east and west 
sides of the Itchin at Winchester, which 
disruption must however have taken 
place long before the commencement of 
the period recorded in history. 

With regard to the inroads of the sea 
upon the cliffs to the westward of Hurst 
Castle, we have also some evidences 
which fix. the date of the commencement ' 
of devastation there as not being so very 
early as we might have been led to sup- 
pose. At low-water of very great spring- 
tides there are perceptible within the 
low-watermark the remains of salterns, 
or enclosures for the partial evaporation 
of sea-water, in order to obtain culinary 
salt from it by a subsequent boiling ; 
and it is by no means likely, if the beach 
had possessed the character which it 
possesses at present, and the sea had 
been making such inroads as it makes 
now, any such permanent work would 
have been there effected. Those re- 
mains of salterns are on the manors of 
Milford and Hordle, and on the average 
about three miles to the westward of 
Hurst Castle. 

The chalk formation, though not far 



from the border of the New Forest dis- 
trict, where that abuts upon Wilts, and 
though, for a considerable distance 
southward in the Forest itself, it cannot 
lie at any considerable depth below the 
surface formations, yet does not appear 
uppermost anywhere within the Forest 
or its precincts. The whole forest con- 
sists of the tertiary formation above the 
chalk ; and as is the case with the form- 
ation in other parts of England, it varies 
greatly in different places, though within 
the Forest itself the prevailing soil is 
sand, or sandy loam, more or less min- 
gled with clay, and, generally speaking, 
pretty strongly impregnated with iron. 
The quantity of oxide of iron contained 
in this formation often gives it very con- 
siderable hardness and consistency, al- 
though nowhere within the Forest is it 
in such compact masses as to be of any 
value as building-stone. There are, 
however, certain districts where the iron 
predominates, so far as that a valuable 
iron- ore is readily obtained, the smelt- 
ing and manufacture of which formed, 
in the olden times, an important and 
valuable branch of occupation. Before 
the value of the coal-mines was duly 
appreciated, and coal became the staple 
article of fuel, and coke the one em- 
ployed in the smelting of iron, such dis- 
tricts as the New Forest and the Weald 
of Sussex and Kent possessed an im- 
portance to which they can now lay no 
claim. In those days the charcoal fur- 
nished by their timber was used in the 
small old-fashioned " bloomeries," or 
air-furnaces, in the reduction of iron 
from the ore ; and as iron-stone near the 



THE NEW FOREST. 



129 



surface was all that could be rendered 
available in those days, and carriage 
from a long distance was entirely out of 
the question, the iron-stone beds in 
such districts as have been alluded to, 
were of great value in an economical 
point of view. 

Up to a comparatively recent date the 
iron- works at Sowley, about midway 
between the Lymington and Beaulieu 
rivers, or three miles from each, were 
carried on to a very considerable extent, 
and not unprontably, as the water accu- 
mulated in Sowley pond was made use 
of as a power in working the necessary 
machinery ; these have, however, given 
way before the more successful compe- 
tition of Wales and the midland coun- 
ties, just as the woollen manufactures of 
the South have given way before those 
ofYorkshire. 

The tertia formation of the New 
Forest district consists not only of differ- 
ent strata superposed upon each other 
over the chalk upon which it rests, but 
those beds vary at short intervals in 
breadth, and give evidence that they have 
been gradually deposited through a long 
period of time. That portion of the Forest 
which lies northward, toward the head 
of Southampton Water and the downs 
of South Wilts, is of course the lowest 
part of the formation, whatever may be 
the present height of its surface above 
the level of the sea. Accordingly, true 
to what is found in other cases, with re- 
gard to this formation, the soil of a con- 
siderable portion of this part of the Fo- 
rest consists of plastic clay. This is 
very conspicuous in the brick-pits about 



Eling, and it extends westward along 
the hollow, by Minstead, and then turns 
round for a short distance along the 
upper course of the streams of the Boldre, 
or Lymington Water, though the pre- 
cise outline of it has not been defined, 
nor is it indeed easily definable. 
This plastic clay passes gradually into a 
sandy loam at the slopes, which some- 
times attains considerable elevation, but 
it is generally lost in sand or gravel on 
the more extensive heights. In the 
eastern parts of the Forest a consider- 
able extent of the inland part is occupied 
by crag, and this is naturally very steril. 
Beaulieu Heath may be considered as the 
grand centre of this crag formation, and 
the downs to the eastward of Lyndhurst 
as the highest part of it. In general 
these are now destitute of vegetation, 
except a small beech here and there, 
which appears as if consumed rather 
than nourished by the hungry soil. 
Still, wherever there is a hollow, there 
are trees : and when there is a mixture 
of loam in the soil, they acquire a pro- 
portional magnitude. 

On the southern margin of the Forest 
again, to the south-westward of the pri- 
vate property at Brockenhurst, which 
contained a church and village before 
the Conquest, and was not afforested by 
William, the ground passes into a sandy 
heath, in many places thickly covered 
with furze, thereby showing that it is 
more favourable to vegetation than the 
crag in the opposite part of the Forest, 
and that, under proper management, it 
may still be made productive of excel- 
lent timber of some description or other. 



130 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



Perhaps the natural tendency of no dis- 
trict of the Forest is now naturally to 
produce oaks without some artificial 
assistance ; but as there mingles less 
calcareous matter in the loam upon the 
slopes here, they have not such a ten- 
dency to run into beech, as is the case in 
the more northerly parts of the wooded 
portion of the Forest. There is how- 
ever another evil, which has perhaps ex- 
tended itself here, in consequence of 
the exposure of much of the surface, 
both on the heights and in the bottoms, 
to the action of the weather. When 
surfaces are so exposed, every hole be- 
comes a receptacle for those minute par- 
ticles of soil of which the sweeping winds 
and the pelting rains rob the heights ; 
and this transported matter, being in a 
state of exceedingly minute division, and 
held suspended in water until it is 
gradually precipitated, or the waters 
dried up, forms a water-tight crust; 
and this lays the foundation of a bog or 
quagmire, which quagmire continues 
accumulating year after year with a 
deceptive crust of moss and the coarser 
marsh plants upon the surface, while 
below it is so sludgy and treacherous, 
that instead of giving a tree hold of the 
ground so as to resist the weather, it is 
unsafe for the feet of domestic animals 
or of man. Within the Forest there are 
several extensive patches of this descrip- 
tion ; and as they occur in those places 
which naturally ought to be clothed 
with the most luxuriant timber or the 
finest pasture, we cannot help feeling 
that there has been some neglect, or, 
at the best, very great ignorance, in the 



management of this singular portion of 
the kingdom. 

ANIMALS, ETC., OF THE NEW FOREST. 

The New Forest horse is quite a study 
to those who wish to see the natural de- 
velopment of this most useful animal. 
According to the ordinary estimation of 
those who are fond of fancy horses, he is 
by no means beautiful ; but he is not a 
little picturesque, and harmonises well 
with the scenes in which he is found. 
His tail and mane are at all times co- 
pious and flowing ; and during the win- 
ter months his coat is somewhat shaggy. 
The hog is another animal of which 
the true New Forest breed may be 
said to be peculiar : it is the domes- 
ticated breed left to run wild in the 
•forest for so many generations as to 
have, in some degree, at least, reverted 
to the original type. As in the 
wild boar, the volume and strength 
of the New Forest hog are concen- 
trated upon the anterior part of the 
animal, the shoulders being thick and 
the neck massive, as compared with 
those of what are esteemed the most 
valuable domesticated breeds. The wild 
hog of the New Forest has certainly 
not the same volume of body as the in- 
dolent tenant of a sty or a farm-yard, but 
there is a vigour and fleetness to which 
the other has no pretensions. In the 
hinder parts he is light and slender, 
while he is strengthened in front, has an 
elevated crest on the neck and shoulders, 
with a thick mane of bristles which he 
can erect at pleasure. His colour, also, 
approaches to that of the wild boar as 



. 



THE NEW FOREST. 



131 



still found in the continental forests, 
being generally dark brindled, and some- 
times entirely black. His ears, too, are 
short, firm, and erect ; and when he is 
excited, there is a fiery glance or glare 
in his eye. His spirit is also true to 
these indications ; for a single dog, un- 
trained to the sport, must be stanch 
indeed before he will venture to go in 
upon the wild hog of the New Forest. 
These hogs are generally seen in small 
herds, led on by one patriarchal male. 
In their native glades, or in the depth 
of the beechen forests, they are animals 
of no inconsiderable beauty, their forms 
being light and elegant, and their bris- 
tles having almost a metallic lustre, 
which shows very brightly in the strag- 
gling sunbeams among the trees. 

Besides these wild hogs, of which the 
number is much more scanty than it 
once was, there are many seasonal hogs 
collected in the New Forest to feed on 
the acorns and beech-mast. The beechen 
woods are most luxuriant in the Bold- 
re-wood Walk, to the westward of Lynd- 
hurst ; and accordingly it is here that 
seasonal hogs are sent into the forest 
by the forest borderers. The right of 
fattening hogs in this and the other 
royal forests is very ancient. Those 
who have this right pay a trifling fee, in 
the steward's court at Lyndhurst, for 
the run of the forest during the « pan- 
nage" month, which begins about the 
end of September, and lasts for six 
weeks. This business is not now car- 
ried on to the same extent that it was 
formerly. In these latter times, what- 
ever it may have been formerly, the 



swineherd, who is a" resident in "the 
forest, and well acquainted with it, is 
governor-general of this peculiar lo- 
cality during the pannage month. He 
selects his appropriate spot, always in a 
neighbourhood where acorns and mast 
are abundant, and he constructs a rude 
habitation of wattles, generally round 
the bole of some ancient tree, for the 
nocturnal rendezvous of his long-nosed 
guests. This he covers in in a rude 
manner, but generally sufficient to keep 
out the rain, and beds to a considerable 
depth with ferns, or with straw, if such 
an article is accessible ; and this being 
done, and a quantity of acorns and mast 
collected, his preparations are com- 
plete. 

Next he goes round among the bor- 
der farmers and collects his herd of 
hogs, which may amount in some in- 
stances to five hundred or six hundred, 
and for which, we believe, his fee is Is. 
a head. Collecting them on the borders 
of the forest, he drives them to the vi- 
cinity of the wattled shed he had pre- 
pared, feasting them sumptuously with 
acorns or mast, and enlivening them 
during their meal with the music of his 
horn, by which he^ intends to impress 
them with the instinct of a connection 
between the said music and meat. When 
they have been fed and serenaded to 
the full measure of their desire, they 
are easily driven^ to the shed, where 
they soon sink into repose upon the 
comfortable straw or fern; and their 
sleep is of course as balmy and refresh- 
ing as that of hogs can be— somniferous 
as these animals in general are, espe- 
k 2 



132 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



cially after a full meal. On the follow- 
ing morning he lets them out, drives 
them to the neighbouring pool or stream 
whereof they are to drink, and leaves 
them for the day to pick up the frag- 
ments of the former evening's supper. 
When night comes on again, they have 
a repetition of the feast and the horn, 
whereby they are soon hushed to repose. 
This is generally repeated a third day, 
and sometimes a fourth one, but after 
that they are understood to be instructed 
in forest manners ; after which they 
are left to find their own food, of which 
there is no want upon a soil so conge- 
nial both to the growth and to the re- 
productive fertility of the oak and the 
beech. When the autumnal winds blow 
keenly, the acorns and the mast fall in 
abundance, and the hogs fare sumptu- 
ously, with comparatively little fatigue, 
though when the atmosphere is still, 
they occasionally require a meal pro- 
cured by the swineherd, to which they 
are always called by the sound of the 
horn, a species of music which former 
feasting has rendered very delightful to 
their ears. 

After this first instruction, the swine- 
herd has comparatively little trouble 
with his herd, as they range about in 
the forest all day ; and, with the excep- 
tion of very calm days, as aforesaid, 
they find abundance of food ; so that 
when he returns their, home to their 
owners, at the expiration of the month, 
they are in very vigorous and healthy 
condition ; and a very short time in 
keeping upon dry food makes them in 
excellent condition for the market, in 



respect both of weight and flavour. The 
hogs may perhaps be considered as the 
most truly characteristic animals of the 
New Forest ; for the horse is not quite 
in his native element, and perhaps the 
same may be said of the deer, for which, 
red deer especially, the range of the 
forest, ample as it is, is neither exten- 
sive enough, nor sufficiently exposed to 
the free and sweeping atmosphere, 
which is so essential to the full deve- 
lopment of these splendid and majestic 
animals. 

There are many deer kept in the 
forest. The right of deer-shooting is 
now confined to the lord warden and 
those appointed by him ; and the annual 
supply required by that officer is sixty- 
four brace ; a few of which are sent to 
her majesty's currier and the great 
officers of the crown, and the rest are 
distributed amongst those persons to 
whom old customs have assigned them. 
Rabbits, which formerly abounded, are 
now scarce. 

In consequence of the diversity of 
the surface and the vegetation, the 
note of every bird may be heard within 
the forest, from the piteous chirp of 
the twite — the appropriate bird of deso- 
lation — to the murmuring of the ring- 
dove, "in shadiest covert hid." The 
moorland places are not sufficiently 
elevated for any of the species of grouse, 
but the whistle of the plover greets one 
immediately after quitting the lonely 
habitation of the twite: as one ap- 
proaches the mossy bottoms, of which 
there are several in the forest - , the lap- 
wing alternately tumbles along the 



THE NEW FOREST. 



133 



earth and twitches through the air, to 
decoy the passenger from the habitation 
of its young. Some of those birds which 
are migrant in other parts of Britain, 
are resident, summer and winter, within 
the natural district of the New Forest. 
In the winter season they find the 
shores, especially the south-eastern shore 
opposite the Isle of Wight, and stretch- 
ing from Calshot Castle at the entrance 
of the Southampton Water, to Hurst 
Castle near the Needles, peculiarly 
warm and fertile; and thus several of the 
long-legged or runninghirds, which have 
to travel with the seasons in most other 
places, have only a few minutes' flight 
between the tidal shore and the inland 
moor. In fact, in this short distance, 
there is in all respects, save that of cli- 
mate, almost the same transition, in the 
course of a few miles, that one meets 
with between the summits of the Gram- 
pians and the estuaries of the tidal 
rivers in the Scottish lowlands. Nor 
are the winter visitants — the swimmers 
of all dimensions, and from all parts of 
the northern regions — less plentiful in 
this interesting district, when the rigour 
of winter seals up the waters and drives 
them from their native north. There- 
fore, to the lover of birds, whether as a 
sportsman or as a naturalist, the New 
Forest is a district of great interest ; 
and, unlike many other places, it is 
equally interesting at all seasons of the 
year. In winter the aquatic birds throng 
to its shores, and resident species flock 
upon the cultivated fields and rich bot- 
toms ; in spring, the resting-place for 
many* migrants which proceed farther 



inward to spend the season ; in summer 
it is all song and flutter ; and in autumn, 
many of the birds which find their way 
into the country, singly and by stealth, 
muster their array here before they take 
their departure for those more tropical 
climates in which they winter. 

TIMBER. 

The chief value of the New Forest is 
for the raising of oak and beech timber 
for the use of the navy. It possesses 
advantages of situation, with respect to 
the convenience of w r ater-carriage and 
nearness to the dockyards, superior to 
every other forest, having in its neigh- 
bourhood several ports and places for 
shipping timber; amongst which, Lym- 
ington is at the distance of only 2 
miles, Beaulieu about half a mile, and 
Redbridge 3 or 4 miles from the forest ; 
and the navigation to the dockyard at 
Portsmouth is only about 30 miles from 
the nearest of those places. Its soil, 
which is in general a sandy loam, is 
well adapted to the production of oak 
timber. The forest at present compre- 
hends nearly 64,000 acres, and is the 
property of the crown, subject to rights 
of common, and other ancient claims. 
The crown has also manorial rights 
over some, and the absolute property of 
other plots of ground included in the 
former, but not in the present bounds 
of the forest. For local purposes the 
forest is divided into nine bailiwicks, 
known by the names of North Bailiwick, 
Fritham, Godshiil, Linwood, Burley, 
Brattamsley, South Bailiwick, Inn Bai- 
liwick, and East Bailiwick, which are 



134 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



again subdivided into fifteen walks. 
The chief officer of the Forest is the 
lord warden, who is appointed by letters 
patent under the Great Seal, during the 
king's pleasure ; under him are a lieu- 
tenant, a bow-bearer, two rangers, a 
woodward, an under • woodward, four 
verderers, a high-steward, an under- 
steward, twelve regarders, nine foresters, 
and fifteen under-foresters. Most of 
these appointments being connected 
with the royal chase, are now considered 
rather as marks of distinction than as 
offices of responsibility or business. Be- 
sides these ancient officers there are 
two others, principally concerned in 
what relates to the timber, and of mo- 
dern appointment, the purveyor of the 
navy for this forest, and the surveyor- 
general of the woods and forests. The 
latter appoints a deputy, whose duty is 
to execute all warrants for felling timber 
for the navy, or for the sale of wood and 
timber, or executing any other works in 
the forest. 

The only object of real importance 
now to the public in the New Forest is 
the increase and preservation of the 
timber. As in every other of the great 
forests, the quantity of timber in it has 
greatly decreased. Within the present 
century many reforms have been made 
from which considerable benefit may 
be expected ; but the use of iron, and 
the process of bending timber by me- 
chanical processes, has diminished in 
some measure the peculiar value of the 
New Forest oak, which consisted in the 
adaptation of its crooked branches to the 
purposes of ship-building 



The condition of the lower inhabit- 
ants and borderers of the forest has 
improved much in a moral point of view 
of late years. Of what they were only 
half a century ago, the reader may form 
some idea by the following account, 
taken from Mr. Gilpin's work before 
mentioned: — "The many advantages 
which the borderers on the Forest enjoy, 
such as rearing cattle and hogs, ob- 
taining fuel at an easy rate, and pro- 
curing little patches of land for the 
trouble of enclosing it, would add much, 
one would imagine, to the comfort of 
their lives ; but, in fact, it is otherwise : 
these advantages procure them not half 
the enjoyments of common day-labour- 
ers. In general, they are an indolent 
race, poor, and wretched in the extreme : 
instead of having the regular return of 
a week's labour to subsist on, too many 
of them depend on the precarious sup- 
ply of forest pilfer. Their ostensible 
business is, commonly, to cut furze, and 
carry it to the neighbouring brick-kilns, 
for which purpose they keep a team of 
two or three forest horses ; while their 
collateral support is deer-stealing, poach- 
ing, and purloining timber. In this last 
occupation they are said to have been 
so expert, that, in a night's time they 
would have cut down, carried off, and 
safely lodged in the hands of some re- 
ceiver, one of the largest oaks of the 
forest; but the depredations which have 
been made in timber along all the skirts 
of the Forest have rendered this species 
of theft, at present, but an unprofitable 
employment. In poaching and deer- 
stealing thev often find their best ac- 



LYNDHURST. 



135 



count, in all the arts of which many of 
them are well practised. From their 
earliest youth they learn to set the trap 
and the gin for hares and pheasants ; — 
to ensnare deer by hanging crooks, 
baited with apples, from the boughs of 
trees ; and (as they become bolder pro- 
ficients) to watch the herd with fire- 
arms, and single out a fat buck as he 
passes the place of their concealment/' 

FOREST ROADS. 

Having now described the general 
characteristics of the New Forest, we 
shall point out the roads by which the 
tourist may traverse this interesting 
district, taking Southampton as the point 
of departure. Lyndhurst, Lymington, 
Christchurch, Ringwood, and Fording- 
bridge, will also form good central 
points, and from his head-quarters in 
any of these places the visitor may make 
many pleasant excursions in various 
directions. 

The road from Southampton to Lynd- 
hurst, the little capital of the Forest, 
passes through the village of Four 
Posts. Spring Hill, an eminence on 
the right of our road, commands exten- 
sive prospects. Freemantle House, in 
the same direction, was often visited by 
Cowper at an early period of his life. 
Passing an iron-foundry, in which iron 
steam-boats and locomotive-engines are 
made, we reach Millbrook, a large 
and pretty village. The church-yard 
contains a monument in memory of 
Pollok, author of the * Course of Time,' 
who died at Shirley, near this place, in 
1 82 7, at the early age of t wenty-n ine. A 



mile further, at the head of Southampton 
Water, and commencement of the An- 
dover canal, is Redbridge, a place of 
great antiquity, which enjoys a consi- 
derable trade in coal, corn, timber, &c, 
and has many advantages as a port. 
There are here yards for ship-building 
Crossing the Andover canal and the 
river Anton, we reach Totton, and next 
Rumbridge, after which a branch of the 
Southampton Water is crossed, and we 
approach Hounsdown Hill, over which 
the road lies. From this eminence there- 
are grand and commanding prospects 
of the Forest, which we enter about a 
mile distant from the base of the Hill. 

Lyndhurst is about 3j miles from 
Hounsdown Hill, and between 9 and 10 
from Southampton. The forestal courts 
are held here, and it was an important 
place in the feudal times. The King's 
House, the official residence of the Lord 
Warden, when he visits the Forest, was 
built in the reign of Charles II., and 
probably occupies the site of a more? 
ancient building. The courts are held 
in the hall, where an ancient stirrup 
iron is shown, which is said to have 
been the one used by Rufus at the time 
of his death. A quadrangular building 
opposite the King's House is called the 
King's Stables, and was used as bar- 
racks during the war. From the tower 
of the church, which was erected in 
1740, a fine prospect of the Forest may 
be obtained. The population of Lynd- 
hurst was 1 236 at the last census. 

From Lyndhurst there is a turnpike- 
road to Lymington ; and there are pa- 
rish roads in various other directions 



136 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



through the sequestered parts of the 
Forest. One of these roads leads to 
Christchurch passing Rhinefield Lodge, 
Welverley Lodge, and the village of 
Hinton. 

Pursuing the road to Lymington, 
which is between 8 and 9 miles from 
Lynd hurst, we pass on the right Cuff- 
nells, the seat of Sir George Rose, most 
delightfully situated in the heart of the 
Forest. Here the gloom and majesty 
of the Forest increases as we advance, 
and a feeling of solitude arises such as 
men experience when they roam the 
untrodden woods or the pathless desert. 
JBrockenhurst, midway between 
Lyndhurst and Lymington, is a village 
of great antiquity, and parts of the 
parish church were erected before the 
Conquest. The font is also very an- 
cient. Brockenhurst Park and Wat- 
combe House are situated near the vil- 
lage : the latter was for several years 
the residence of John Howard. 

Lymington, a corporate town and 
parliamentary borough, is agreeably 
situated on the right bank of the river 
Lymington, at a short distance from 
its mouth, and is about 90 miles south- 
west from London, direct distance. By 
the road through Lyndhurst, Lyming- 
ton is 19 miles from the Southampton 
station : it is 9 miles from Lyndhurst, 
and 10 from Christchurch. 

Lymington is well supplied with 
water, and the paving and lighting are 
defrayed by a rate of \3±d. in the pound 
on houses, and A±d. in the pound on 
land. u Lymington is subordinate to 
the port of Southampton, from the ne- 



cessity of the importers having to pay 
the full duties on the entrance of their 
cargoes into the port" {Corp. Reports), 
which circumstance is regarded by the 
inhabitants as a grievance, inasmuch as 
they consider the situation of their own 
port peculiarly favourable to foreign 
trade. The foreign trade is unimpor- 
tant, and the coasting-trade is evidently 
on the decline, for it appears that the 
aggregate tonnage inwards and out- 
wards, which in 1812 amounted to 
44,934, had gradually decreased down 
to the year 1832, when the tonnage 
inwards was 10,757, and outwards 7242. 
The town has of late years received con- 
siderable improvements, with a view to 
invite visitors during the bathing sea- 
son : 3000/. had been subscribed in 1835 
for the erection of baths, and a like 
sum for the establishment of gas-works. 
The chief manufacture in the neigh- 
bourhood is salt, which some years ago 
was carried on to a considerable extent, 
but has since declined. The salt-works 
are situated on the bank of the Solent 
Channel, to the south-west of the town. 
The fairs for cheese are held May 12 
and October 2, and are usually well 
attended. Lymington is a borough by 
prescription, there being no charter ex- 
tant or upon record. The town-council 
consist of four aldermen and twelve 
common-councillors (5 and 6 Will. IV., 
c. 76), and the income of the corporation, 
arising from landed property, tolls, quay, 
and river dues, amounted, in the year 
ending October, 1832, to 68/. 19*. 5d., 
the expenditure during the same period 
being 79/. 12s. 4d. The parish church, 



LYMINGTON. 



137 



dedicated to St. Thomas a Becket, is in 
the diocese of Winchester, and in its 
interior are many handsome monu- 
ments. The living is a curacy, depend- 
ent in some respects upon the church 
of Boldre, and the income is included in 
that of the vicarage of Boldre. The 
population of the town and parish in 
1831 was 3361. Lymington has returned 
two members to parliament since the 
reign of Elizabeth. 

The traveller who visits Lymington, 
from which Boldre is about two miles 
distant, may be induced to stroll to- 
wards the village-church on learning 
that it was for above twenty years the 
scene of the pastoral labours of the 
Rev. William Gilpin, author of several 
works on the picturesque. The view 
from Boldre churchyard is exceedingly 
interesting ; that towards the north ex- 
tending over an area of thirty or forty 
square miles of forest scenery, of the 
richest and most diversified character ; 
while on the opposite side appear the 
white cliffs of the Isle of Wight. The ' 
intermediate woods gently incline to- 
wards the adjacent stream, which, wid- 
ening as it proceeds, flows into the sea 
at Lymington Bridge. The church itself 
is an ancient and primitive-looking 
structure, and crowns the summit of a 
thickly-wooded eminence. 

Mr. Gilpin applied the profits which 
he derived from his pen and pencil to 
found two parish-schools, a view of which 
are given in the accompanying sketch. 
The school-houses adjoin each other, 
and are situated in an angle formed by 
the junction of two roads, one of which 



leads to Pilley, and thence to Boldre 
Church, and the other to Vicar's Hill 
and Lymington. In these schools twenty 
boys and as many girls, " taken as far 
as can be out of the day -labouring part 
of the parish" of Boldre, are clothed 
and educated according to the direc- 
tions of the founder. With a view to 
render these schools permanent he sold 
some of his drawings ; the first lot pro- 
ducing 1200/., and the second, sold after 
his death, pursuant to his will, bringing 
1500/. One book, which is now in the 
possession of a gentleman of Boldre, sold 
for eighty guineas. Mr. Gilpin died in 
1804, and was buried in Boldre church- 
yard, where a plain tomb marks the 
grave of himself and his wife. 

Wallkamfton, the seat of the late 
Sir H. Burrard Neal, is about a mile 
east of Lymington. The grounds com- 
mand extensive views of the Channel 
and the Isle of Wight, and contain a 
piece of water twelve acres in extent. 

Milford, a small village about three 
miles from Lymington, is situated be- 
tween the town and Hurst Castle. It 
is opposite Alum Bay, and affords fine 
views of that part of the Isle of Wight. 

Hurst Castle, situated on a long 
narrow strip of land, was erected in the 
time of Henry VIII., for the defence of 
this part of the coast ; and, though still 
occupied as a garrison, is of little 
strength, but its position is an excellent 
one in a military point of view. Charles 
I., after being removed from the Isle of 
Wight, was lodged in Hurst Castle for 
several weeks previous to his trial and 
execution. 



id&^t''- 1 




CHRISTCHURCH. 



J39 




We will now pursue the road to 
Christchurch, which is parallel to the 
coast the whole of the way. On the 
left of the road is the village of Hordle, 
near which the coast-line assumes a 
bold character, and Hordle Cliff rises 



about 150 feet above the level of the 
sea. As we approach the entrance of 
Christchurch Bay the coast becomes 
less elevated. Passing Belvidere 
House on the left, we soon reach 
Christchurch, which is pleasantly 



140 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



situated within the angle formed by 
the confluence of the Avon and the 
Stour, 20 miles west-south-west of 
Southampton, and 93 south-west from 
London in a straight line. It is nearly 
30 miles south-west of the Southamp- 
ton station, by the road through 
Lyndhurst and Lymington. 

Christchurch derives its name from 
its church and ancient priory, founded 
by the West Saxons, in the reign of 
Edward the Confessor, for a dean and 
twenty canons. Ranulph Flambard, 
Bishop of Durham, re-built the priory 
in the time of Rufus, and its revenues 
were greatly augmented by Richard de 
Redvers, or Rivers, Earl of Devon, to 
whom the manor was given by Henry I. 
At the dissolution the annual income 
was 544/. 6s. (Speed.) Fragments of 
the priory walls are still standing, and 
of the castle-keep, which are more than 
10 feet in thickness, and in the Nor- 
man style. The earliest notice of 
Christchurch is in the Saxon Chroni- 
cles, where it is said to have been the 
military position of Ethelwold, during 
his revolt against Edward. By the 
Saxons it was called Twyneham- 
Bourne, and Tweon-ea ; and in Domes- 
day Book, where it is mentioned as a 
burg and royal manor containing thirty 
messuages, it is called Thuinam. The 
church is a very line old structure, in 
the form of a cross, partly of Norman 
architecture. There is a delightful and 
extensive prospect from the tower. 
From some remains that have been dis- 
covered, the town is supposed to have 
been of Roman origin. In the vicinity- 



appears the site of a camp and en- 
trenchments, with several tumuli and 
barrows, which have contained human 
bones. The living is a vicarage in the 
diocese of Winchester. 

Though the town is a corporation, it 
is wholly under the jurisdiction of the 
county magistrates. It sent two mem- 
bers to parliament since the time of 
Elizabeth ; the number was reduced to 
one by the Reform Act, and the parlia- 
mentary borough was enlarged by the 
Boundary Act. The town is not lighted 
nor regularly paved, but is amply sup- 
plied with water, The salmon fish- 
eries on the coast and river have greatly 
declined. The population in 1831 of 
the whole parish was 5344, and 'of 
the new parliamentary borough 6077. 
There is a free grammar-school, a na- 
tional and Lancasterian school, and 
several endowed charities. The rivers 
Stour and Avon, after uniting about 
1^- mile below the town, flow into 
Christchurch Bay, and form a spacious 
harbour ; but from being obstructed by 
a moving bar of sand, it can be entered 
only at high water by small vessels 
drawing five or six feet of water. Good 
anchorage in six fathoms water is found 
in the bay, east of the harbour, two miles 
from shore. The town has little trade, 
and does not appear likely to improve 
in that respect. 

There is a road from Christchurch to 
Salisbury through Ringwood. From 
Christchurch to the latter place, a dis- 
tance of 9 miles, there are two roads 
parallel to each other, with the river 
Avon flowing between them. The road 



RINGWOOD. 



141 



on the left bank of the river passes by 
Staples' Cross, Sopley, Avon, and Lower 
Kingston. In the vicinity of Staples' 
Cross are several good mansions — Hin- 
ton House, Hinton Admiral, and High 
Cliff. 

Ringwood existed during the Roman 
occupation of Britain, and was a place 
of some importance in the Anglo-Saxon 
times. It stands on the east side of the 
Avon, which here divides into three 
branches, and their banks not unfre- 
quently overflow. There is a stone bridge 
over each branch of the river. Besides 
the parish church there are places of 
worship for several other sects, and there 
is a small endowed school. Ringwood 
is famous for its ale. The weekly mar- 
ket is held on Wednesday ; and there 
are fairs in July and December. The 
country around is rather flat. 

The roads from Southampton to 
Poole, and from Salisbury to Christ- 
church, pass through Ringwood. To 
return to Southampton by the former 
road we pass Picked Post, Stoney Cross, 
and Cadnam, where the road joins the 
Southampton and Salisbury road, and 
at Totton, on this road, we reach the 
point by which we proceeded on leaving 
Southampton. Between Picked Post 
and Stoney Cross, on the right is Boldre 
Wood, famous for its beeches. At Stoney 
Cross, 7 miles from Ringwood, is Rufus' 
stone, already described, and near it is 
Castle Mai wood. To the right is the 
sequestered hamlet of Minstead, and 
here we are again in the midst of the 
finest parts of the Forest. The scene 
which here meets the eyes of the tourist, 



and the feeling which it inspires, have 
been described by William Hovvitt, who 
recently visited this spot:—" Herds of 
red deer rose from the fern, and went 
bounding away, and dashed into the 
depths of the woods ; troops of those 
gray and long-tailed forest horses turned 
to gaze as I passed down the open 
glades; and the red squirrels in hun- 
dreds scampered away from the ground 
where they were feeding. * * * I roved 
onward without a guide, through the 
wildest woods that came in my way. 
Awaking as from a dream, I saw far 
around me, one deep shadow, one thick 
and continuous roof of boughs and thou- 
sands of hoary boles standing clothed, 
as it were, with the very spirit of silence. 
I admired the magnificent sweep of 
some grand old trees as they hung into 
a glade or ravine ; some delicious open- 
ing in the deep woods, or the grotesque 
figure of particular trees, which seemed 
to have been blasted into blackness, and 
contorted into inimitable crookedness, 
by the savage genius of the place." 

Cadnam Park is between 9 and 10 
miles from Ringwood, and as many 
from Southampton. 

Instead of returning to Southampton 
by this road, we may ascend the valley 
of the Avon to Fordingbridge. The 
road is parallel to the river, which divides 
into several branches. The distance 
from Ringwood to Fordingbridge is only 
6 miles by Blackford Green and the 
village of Ibbesley. 

Fordingbridge is on the right or 
west bank of the Avon, 92 miles from 
London, and 18 miles from the South- 



142 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



ampton station, from which there is a 
road crossing the head of Southampton 
Water. The parish is large, containing 
5720 acres, and had in 1831 a population 
of 2822, more than half agricultural. 
Fordingbridge was formerly a place of 
greater extent than now, and has suf- 
fered several times from fire. There is 
a stone bridge of seven arches over the 
river. There are some manufactures of 
sail-cloth and bed-ticking. The market 
is on Saturday, and there is one yearly 
fair. The living is a vicarage, united 
with the parochial chapelry of Ibsby, or 
Ibbesley, in the diocese and archdea- 
conry of Winchester, and in the gift 
of King's College, Cambridge : the an- 
nual value is 601/., with a glebe-house. 
There is an Independent congregation. 

The road to Salisbury, after proceed- 
ing between 3 and 4 miles north of Ford-* 
ingbridge, passes out of the county. 
Two miles from the town, on the right 
of a branch road which joins the road 
from Southampton to Salisbury, is a hill 
called Godshill, overgrown with oaks, 
on which are visible the remains of an 
ancient camp, perhaps of Saxon origin, 
secured on one side by a double trench, 
and on the other by the steep slope of 
the hill. This is the nearest road to 
Southampton : it passes along a ridge 
of high lands which runs between two 
feeders of the Avon, and skirts the 
north-western verge of the Forest, en- 
tering the Salisbury and Southampton 
road about 13 miles from Southampton. 

We are once more at Southampton ; 
but before taking leave of the Forest we 
may point out other pleasant excur- 



sions, which may be made to a part of 
this district which the last tour did not 
embrace. Crossing Southampton Water 
to Hythe, we proceed from this village 
to Beaulieu Abbey, a distance of 
about 5 miles. The woods around Beau- 
lieu are chiefly beech, and in the pan- 
nage season several thousand hogs are 
turned into them. The Beaulieu river 
takes its rise north-east of Lyndhurst, 
and is an insignificant stream until it 
nearly reaches the village to which it 
gives its name. Here it expands into 
a lake covering many acres, on the 
eastern side of which stands the abbey. 
The abbey of Beaulieu was of the Cis- 
tercian order, and was founded a.d. 
1204, by King John: its yearly revenue 
at the dissolution was 428/. 6s. 8d. gross, 
or 326/. 13s. 2d. clear. The stone wall 
which surrounded the precincts of the 
abbey is in several places nearly entire, 
and is finely mantled with ivy. The 
abbot's apartments, converted after the 
dissolution into a family seat, having a 
well-proportioned vaulted hall : a long 
building, supposed, from the extent and 
height of the apartments, to have been 
the dormitory, the ancient kitchen and 
the refectory are still standing. There 
are some traces of the cloisters ; a gate- 
way leading to the area enclosed by 
them is standing ; the church is entirely 
destroyed. The refectory, a plain stone 
building, with strong buttresses, and a 
curiously raftered oak roof, forms the 
parish church of the village of Beau- 
lieu. This abbey possessed the privilege 
of sanctuary, and as such afforded shel- 
ter to Margaret of Anjou and her son 



BEAULIEU. 



143 



Prince Edward, on their landing in 
England at the time of the battle of 
Barnet, and to Perkin Warbeck, after 
the failure of his attempts in the West 
of England. 

The church of Beaulieu has been 
lately repaired, new pewed, and other- 
wise improved, at the expense of Lord 
Montague, brother of the Duke of Buc- 
cleugh : and a comfortable residence for 
the clergyman of the parish has also 
been completed at his lordship's ex- 
pense. Besides this, he has erected 
two schools for the reception of 1 00 boys 
and 100 girls, and provided them with 
a master and mistress, and it is his in- 
tention to encourage two infant schools, 
which are to be auxiliary to the other 
two schools. These schools, however, 
are strictly confined to children whose 
parents belong to the Established 
Church ; and if there should be any 
Dissenters in the parish, their children 
will be entirely excluded from the ad- 
vantages which Lord Montague has 
provided: and he will not allow any 
dwelling belonging to him " to be used 
for the purpose of a school of instruction 
in any form of religion opposed to or 
differing from that of the Established 
Church, as taught in my own schools." * 

At Beaulieu was also an Hospital of 
Knights Templars, which was founded 
before the establishment of the abbey. 

* ' Memorandum and Directions' issued by Lord 
Montague, Oct. 27th, 1840. 



The ruins of the Hospital, which are now 
converted into farm buildings, are some- 
times mistaken for those of the abbey. 
They are about half a mile distant 
from the water, on rising ground which 
commands views of Hurst Castle, the 
Needles, S pithead, and the towns of 
Yarmouth, Newton, Cowes and Newport. 
The ruins of the abbey are in a low 
situation, and the lands above them are 
now rather swampy. The Beaulieu or 
Exe river is navigable to the village ; 
and the tourist is recommended to sail 
down it to Exbury, near its mouth, a 
distance of rather more than 3 miles. 
Here he will disembark, and proceed 
across the country to Calshot Castle, 
about 4J miles from Exbury. This 
brings him to the western shore of 
Southampton, and the walk across 
the head of land from the Beaulieu 
river to Southampton Water presents 
views of the Isle of Wight and Spithead, 
while the scenery inland is not wanting 
in charms. Calshot Castle, like that 
at Hurst, was erected by Henry VIII. 
for the defence of the coast : it occupies 
a slip of land at the mouth of South- 
ampton Water. 

From Calshot we proceed to Fawley, 
and then once more reach Hythe, pass- 
ing the whole way within a short dis- 
tance of the Southampton Water. We 
may cross the water at Hythe, or pro- 
ceed to Dibden and Eling, and there 
cross to Southampton. 



144 



CHAPTER X. 

THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 



The old topographical poet, Michael 
Drayton, says justly of the Isle of 
Wight, in his many-footed verses, — 

14 Of all the southern isles she holds the 
highest place, 
And evermore hath been the great'st in 
Britain's grace." 

He might, indeed, have made his eu- 
logy more unqualified ; for there is 
certainly no other of the islets that bor- 
der the British coasts that can pretend 
to vie in any respect with this " gem 
of the ocean." In beautiful and sub- 
lime scenery, much of it of a kind pe- 
culiar to itself, the Isle of Wight is sur- 
passed by few spots on the globe. 

It has been said in praise of the 
island of Great Britain that it contains 
within itself, on a small scale, specimens 
of all the beauties and variety of scenery 
of the whole of Europe. In a similar 
manner we may almost say that the 
Isle of Wight contains within a narrow 
compass all the most pleasing and pic- 
turesque features of Great Britain. No 
person with any eye or feeling for the 
beauties of nature ever visited this fair 
isle without delight ; and we trust we 
shall render no unacceptable service by 



drawing our readers' attention to it, and 
pointing out a few of the pleasures they 
may obtain in the course of a short and 
cheap tour. The South- Western Rail- 
road has brought Southampton within 
a few hours' ride of London, and from 
Southampton to Cowes, the usual land- 
ing-place in the Isle of Wight, the 
distance is so short that it is performed, 
by regular steam-boats, in little more 
than an hour. The passage from 
Portsmouth seldom exceeds half an 
hour. 

EXTENT. 

Though the largest island in the 
British Channel, the Isle of Wight is 
only 24 miles in its greatest length, that 
is, from east to west, or from the Nee- 
dles to Foreland Farm, and about twelve 
in its greatest breadth, or from Cowes 
Castle to Rocken End. Its form is 
that of an irregular ellipsis, and it has 
been compared to the shape of a turbot. 
It contracts at its two extremities, and 
is very narrow towards the west. The 
entire circumference is generally set 
down at about 60 miles, and the island 
contains from 120,000 to 130,000 acres 
of land, of which a great portion is 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 



145 



very productive. The high downs are 
excellent sheep-walks, and the farms 
are generally so contrived as to unite 
pasture with arable land. An old 
boast of the peasants is, that this fortu- 
nate island yields seven times as much 
as its inhabitants consume. At a very 
early period it exported a considerable 
quantity of wool. 

The breadth of the sea-channel that 
separates the island from the main 
or Hampshire coast varies from 6 to 
4 miles ; while at one particular point, 
near Hurst Castle, in Hampshire, there 
is such a projection from the main- 
land towards the isle, as to leave a pas- 
sage by water of no more than 1 mile. 
Thus those who are most indisposed to 
sea voyages have little to fear. The 
channel or strait is called the Solent, or 
the Solvent Sea.* 

NATURAL AND POLITICAL DIVISIONS, 
POPULATION, &C. 

The natural division of the island is 
very clearly marked; a centrical chain 
of hills and downs cuts it into two nearly 
equal parts, the one being north and 
the other south. The southern part, 
which is farther from the Hampshire 
coast, and much the more picturesque, 
bold, and secluded of the two, is com- 
monly called the " back of the island." 
Another natural division into east and 
west is formed by the river Medina, 
which, rising at the foot of St. Cathe- 
rine's Down, traverses the island, and 
falls into the Solent Strait at Cowes. 

* Bede calls the channel " Pelago Solvente." 



The country to the east of the river, 
called East Medina, and that on the 
other side, called West Medina, are 
nearly equal in extent of territory. 

The whole of the island is politically 
subdivided into thirty parishes, fourteen 
of which are to the east of the river and 
sixteen to the west. The entire popu- 
lation of the Isle of Wight, as shown by 
the census of 1831, was 35,363 persons. 
Previously to the passing of the Reform 
Bill the isle returned six members to 
Parliament ; that is to say, two for the 
borough of Newport, two for Yarmouth, 
and two for New 7 town ; but since that 
great constitutional change, the Isle of 
Wight returns one county member, and 
two borough members for Newport, 
Yarmouth and Newton being both dis- 
franchised. The whole of the island is 
in the see of Winchester. Newport, 
which is now the capital, though Caris- 
brook enjoyed that honour in olden 
times, contains a population of above 
4300 persons, and is a place of consi- 
derable trade and activity. 

A very favourable character has 
been generally given of the islanders. 
An enlightened foreigner, M. Simond, 
praises their politeness, love of neat- 
ness, and orderly behaviour. In the 
course of his tour at the back of the 
island, he says, " The meanest of their 
cottages, and those inhabited by the 
poorer class, were adorned with roses, 
jessamines, and honey-suckles, and 
often large myrtles, which, on this 
southern coast, bear the winter out of 
doors. There were vines everywhere 
against their houses, and often fig-trees. 



146 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



We thought the women remarkably 
good-looking. Children and grown 
people took off their hats, or gave us a 
nod, as we passed along.*'* Having 
taken lodgings for a whole week at the 
village of Steephill, in a fisherman's 
cottage, which was a sort of ale-house, 
he had there an opportunity of observing 
a new class of people (the fishermen), 
of whom he reports, much to their 
credit, that he found them remarkably 
decent and well-behaved ; not addicted 
to drunkenness (the capital vice of our 
poor, and the cause of all their other 
vices) — not quarrelsome among them- 
selves, but friendly, good-humoured, and 
very cheerful. 

HISTORY. 

The Romans took possession of the 
Isle of Wight (Vecta or Vectis) in 
the reign of the Emperor Claudius, 
about the year 45 of the Christian 
sera, and kept it till 495, when it 
was reduced by Cerdic the Saxon, who 
is said to have cut off the few abo- 
riginal Britons that still remained 
there. During the Saxon Heptarchy, 
when England was unhappily cut up 
into little kingdoms jealous of and 
almost continually at war with one 
another, the pleasant hills and quiet 
valleys of the Isle of Wight were often 
made to run with blood. In 678, when 
the population of the island still ad- 
hered to the old Druidical superstitions, 
Caedwalla, king of the West Saxons, 
made war upon Edelwach, king of the 

* 'Journal of a Tour and Residence in Great 
Britain.' J5y Louis Simond. 



South Saxons, in whose possession the 
island then was. Caedwalla prevailed 
in the struggle, slew his rival, and pass- 
ing over to the Isle of Wight, put all 
the people to the sword, except 300 
families, who were forcibly converted to 
Christianity, and then, with a fourth part 
of the island, given by the conqueror, 
who had made a vow to that effect, to 
Wilfred, Archbishop of York. During 
the incursions and invasions of the 
piratical Danes the island was frequently 
plundered and desolated. In 1052 
Earl Godwin, who was then an exile 
and an outlaw, having obtained a fleet 
from the Earl of Flanders, stripped the 
wretched inhabitants of all that had 
escaped the rapacity and barbarity of 
their former invaders. The now happy 
islanders will hardly conceive the fre- 
quency and the cruelty of these attacks ; 
but if they reflect upon them, they will 
have motives to be grateful for that pro- 
gress in civilization and in national 
strength (the consequence of civiliza- 
tion) which have secured to them the 
undisturbed enjoyment of life and its 
blessings. 

At the period of the Norman Con- 
quest (1068) William Fitz-Osborne, 
carrying fire and the sword, subdued 
the island for his own use and profit, 
and became the first Lord of Wight. 
He founded a stately priory near Caris- 
brook, and built several churches. This 
Fitz-Osborne, who is better known in 
English history under the title of the 
Earl of Hereford, bestowed the priory 
of Carisbrook and the churches he 
founded in the island on the great 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 



147 



Abbey of Lyra, in Normandy, which 
also owed its origin to his devotion and 
munificence. The monks were of the 
Cistercian order. 

For more than two centuries the 
island continued to be governed by its 
independent lords, who, like those of 
the Isle of Man, exercised all the rights 
of sovereignty ; but in 1293 Edward I. 
purchased the regalities for a sum of 
money, after which the kings of Eng- 
land retained for themselves the title of 
Lord of the Island, and governed it by 
custodes or wardens. The person who 
sold the regalities was a lady— namely, 
Isabella de Fortibus, Lady of Wight, 
&c, who had succeeded to the honour 
in 1283 by the death of her brother 
Baldwin, fifth earl of Devonshire and 
Lord of the Isle of Wight. The money 
she received from the crown was 4000/*, 
and she is said to have died on the same 
day that she concluded the bargain and 
alienated the rights of sovereignty from 
her family. But it was only these rights 
or regalities that were sold to the king, 
as she disposed of her estates on the 
island by will. The title of Warden, 
conferred upon the king's representative, 5 
was afterwards changed into that of 
" Constable of Carisbrook Castle," to 
which was sometimes added, " and Cap- 
tain of the Isle of Wight." The title of 
"Governor" gave great offence to the 
islanders, who thought an extension of 
power was intended thereby, and when 
(in 1558) Sir George Carey assumed 
that title, and claimed unwarrantable 
authority over them, they very properly 
resisted him; and the powers objected 



to were never more heard of, though 
the title of " Governor " was resumed 
in 1634 by Jerome, Earl of Portland, 
and was long continued in other persons. 
The weak and unfortunate Henry VI. 
conferred the title otKing of Wight upon 
Henry Beauchamp, Duke of Warwick, 
and in a ridiculous coronation placed the 
crown on the duke's head with his own 
hands. It appears, however, that this 
ceremony conferred no regal power, as it 
was held that the king had no right to 
touch the integrity of the British mo- 
narchy, or transfer any part of his sove- 
reignty, and the empty title was left to ex- 
pire with the nobleman who first bore it. 
Before the time of the duke-king the 
island had been partially fortified, and 
means had been adopted to defend it 
from the attacks of the French. During 
the reign of Edward III. twenty-nine 
beacons and watch-towers were erected 
at different points, in order to spread 
the alarm over the whole island when 
an enemy was approaching. Two men 
by day and four by night kept watch 
and ward at each of these towers ; and 
every landed proprietor was bound to 
find men and arms, in proportion of one 
man for every 20/. a year his estates 
rendered him. In case of an attack the 
Lord of the island furnished seventy-six 
men, the clergy sixteen ; the Abbot of 
Glastonbury, the Bishop of Winchester, 
and the other great churchmen who 
held lands there, contributed then- 
quotas, and the custos insula, or warden 
of Wight, could summon home absen- 
tees, and make other provisions for the 
common security. Every land-owner 
L 2 



us 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



was bound, when called upon, to do gar- 
rison duty for forty days, and at his own 
expense, in Carisbrook Castle, the main 
fortress. This castle was often attacked 
by the French, but never taken, the 
islanders on every occasion making a 
gallant defence. In 1340 Sir Theobald 
Russel, one of the wardens of Caris- 
brook Castle, was killed in an action 
with the French invaders, who were, 
however, thoroughly beaten and driven 
back to their ships. In 1377 the French, 
who had laid a regular siege to it, were 
obliged to retire with great loss. In the 
following century, while Henry V. was 
desolating France with his mad wars, a 
body of Frenchmen, determined to carry 
the same curse into his own dominions, 
suddenly appeared off the Isle of Wight, 
and effected a landing there. After 
burning some detached cottages and 
farm-houses, this force was defeated by 
the inhabitants and driven back to their 
ships. From this time till the reign of 
Henry VITL, the French made no new 
effort, but then they succeeded in landing 
on the island, and plundered a good 
part of it. 

Shortly after this sad event the is- 
landers furnished themselves with a 
parochial artillery ; each parish provided 
one piece of light brass ordnance, which 
was carefully kept either in the church 
or in a small house built for the purpose 
close by the church. Towards the end 
of the last century some sixteen or 
eighteen of these guns were still pre- 
served in the island ; they were of low 
calibre, some being six- pounders and all 
the rest one-pounders. The islanders, 



by frequent practice, are said to have 
made themselves excellent artillerymen. 
The gun-carriages and ammunition 
were provided by the parishes, and par- 
ticular farms were charged with the 
duty of finding horses to draw them.* 

From the time that the naval supe- 
riority of Great Britain was established, 
these measures of defence on the part 
of the islanders became almost unneces- 
sary ; their protection was secured by our 
" wooden walls;" no more invaders 
could set their feet upon the happy soil ; 
and whilst hundreds of our fleets went 
by in succession from Portsmouth and 
Spithead, to carry war to every corner 
of the globe, the Isle of Wight had 
nothing to fear for itself. 

In our view of the interior of the 
island we may mention a few local 
occurrences, but, in an historical sense, 
there are few events of any importance 
to distinguish its annals from those of 
England at large. 

VOYAGE ROUND THIS ISLAND. 

The most striking and distinctive fea- 
tures of the Isle of Wight exist on its 
coasts, which present a continual succes- 
sion of natural phenomena, and grand or 
beautiful scenery. The tourist who is 
favoured by fine weather, and has time 
enough, would do well to make the tour 
of the island by sea ; as in that manner 
he will see many things that would 
otherwise escape him, and take in the 
stupendous dimensions of cliffs and rent 

* Pennant: 'Journey from London to the Isle 
of Wight.' Sir Richard Worsley: ■ Hist. Isle of 
Wight.' 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 



149 



columns with far more effect than^ in 
looking at them from above, or from 
the narrow line of the shore. 

We will attempt to describe a few of 
the scenes to be met with in this brief 
circumnavigation, before we speak of 
the quieter rural beauties of the interior. 
We will begin with the picturesque ma- 
ritime town of Cowes, where we landed 
when we visited the island, and thence 
proceed along the western coasts to the 
Needles and the back of the island. 
This pretty town, surrounded by gen- 
tlemen's seats and elegant cottages, is 
situated at the mouth of the Medina, 
standing partly on the eastern and partly 
on the western bank of that river. A 
port and roadstead generally crowded 
with shipping offer animated seaward 
views ; and on the land side there is a 
variety of beautiful walks through an 
undulating country, where trees are 
everywhere mixed with the habitations 
of men. Old Cowes Castle is a small 
fortress on the sea-shore, offering no 
very picturesque features ; but East 
Cowes Castle, and Norris Castle, in the 
neighbourhood, though both modern 
Gothic structures, are fine objects in the 
scenery, and beautifully situated. As 
our object at present is to describe the 
coast of the island, we will refrain from 
giving farther details about this town, 
which is one of the most important and 
most frequented in the Isle of Wight. 

On leaving West Cowes, we sailed 
under the pleasant TVest Cliff, and, 
doubling a little promontory, came into 
Gurnard's Bay, where a small stream, 
called . the Rue, falls into the Solent 



Channel. Thence, crossing Thorness 
Bay, we reached Newtowx, which is 
curiously situated on a deep and irregular 
inlet or creek of the Solent, which 
admits vessels of considerable burden. 
Though formerly a market-town of some 
consequence, and though, until very re- 
cently, it sent two members to Parlia- 
ment, Newtown is but a small village, 
with fourteen or fifteen cottages, and a 
population of about seventy persons. The 
only trade it now has is derived from 
some salterns, or saltpans. In the rear 
of the village are the picturesque re- 
mains of an old church, which are al- 
most entirely concealed by luxuriant 
ivy. 

From Newtown Bay we sailed slowly 
along the coast to the estuary of the 
river Yar, on the eastern bank of which 
stands the town of Yarmouth. During 
this short voyage from Cowes the tourist 
catches fine glimpses of the interior 
scenery of the island, backed by hills 
and downs ; but the coast itself, though 
prettily sprinkled with small hamlets 
and fishermen's huts, and covered in 
many places with green grass, or trees, 
to the water's* edge, yet offers none of 
those features of sublimity which occur 
a little beyond Yarmouth. 

Yarmouth, the most important town 
on the western end of the island, is very 
advantageously situated, and has a con- 
stant intercourse by means of steam- 
boats and sailing vessels with Lyming- 
ton on the main, from which it is dis- 
tant no more than 4 miles : its port or 
roadstead is excellent. The population 
of Yarmouth, however, is but small, not 



150 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



much exceeding 600 persons. There 
are no very old buildings, for the town 
was totally destroyed by the French in 
1337. The small castle or block-house 
at the entrance of the river was built by 
Henry VIII. to defend the town from 
the naval attacks which Francis I. com- 
menced after Henry had leagued himself 
with the Emperor Charles V. In 16 71 
the fortifications were improved, and in 
the course of that year Charles II., on 
a royal progress, paid a visit to Yar- 
mouth, where he was entertained by 
" that gallant Admiral Sir Robert 
Holme," a hero of no mean fame, who 
lies buried in the parish church, with a 
statue and a long epitaph over his ashes. 
The church is nearly 300 years old, 
having been built in 1543, but it under- 
went a thorough repair in 1831. Yar- 
mouth sent its two members to Parlia- 
ment as early, it is said, as a.d. 
1304. 

The river Yar, which has a fine ap- 
pearance at high water, rises close to 
Freshwater Gate, on the opposite side 
of the island, and within a few yards of 
the sea, which, in stormy weather, has 
been seen to break over the narrow ridge 
of separation, and mingle its salt waves 
with the fresh waters of the river-head. 
The Yar almost insulates the western 
extremity of the island from the rest of 
the Wight ; and, were it desirable, the 
ocean could be easily made to flow 
through its bed, from the south to the 
Solvent Strait at the north. To this 
end nothing would be required but to 
cut through the very narrow isthmus at 
Freshwater Gate. The river Yar is 



navigable up to Freshwater Mills, and 
affords a pleasant aquatic excursion. 

On leaving Yarmouth we almost im- 
mediately reached Sconce Point, where 
Hurst Castle, standing at the end of a 
projection from the Hampshire coast, 
presents itself in a picturesque manner, 
and apparently almost within reach. 
At the turning of Sconce Point into 
Colwell Bay the peculiarities of the coast 
begin to appear. The cliffs become 
lofty and vertical, exposing their dif- 
ferent strata, the lowest of which is of 
white sand, and more than thirty feet 
thick. This continues along Totland 
Bay to the grand eminence of Headon 
Hill, which rises 400 feet above the 
level of the sea, which is here remark- 
ably clear, with a fine rocky bottom. 
On turning this point the voyager finds 
himself in a remarkable bay, at the 
southern side of which the Needles show 
their fantastic shapes, — their rugged 
narrow ridges, in summer time, being 
generally covered with sea- fowl. 

Alum Bay, a section of which is cor- 
rectly represented in our engraving, 
presents indeed one of the most striking 
scenes on this curious coast. On one 
side it is bounded by lofty precipices of 
chalk, of a pearly colour, broken and 
indented ; — on the other, by cliffs 
strangely but beautifully variegated with 
different colours, arisin^from the strata 
of red and yellow ochres, fuller's earth, 
black flints, and sands, both grey and 
snowy white. The white sand is valu- 
able for the manufacture of glass and 
chinaware, and is exported in consider- 
able quantities. Of the coloured sands, 



152 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



which are uncommonly hright and 
pretty, the people of the island make 
little chimney-piece ornaments, by put- 
ting them into phials, and so arranging 
and contrasting the different tints as to 
form fantastic designs. Alum and cop- 
peras-stones are also picked up on the 
shores of the bay and exported in small 
quantities. 

As the tourist changes his position in 
Alum Bay, the Needle Books, which are 
five in number, though only three of 
them now stand boldly out of the water, 
vary their irregular forms to the eye in 
a most singular manner. From some 
points they appear as if united in one 
broad rugged mass ; from others they 
are seen detached, and looking like old 
fortresses which had battered each other 
to pieces, or fallen into one common 
ruin under the weight of time and the 
violence of tempests. It would require 
the pencil instead of the pen, and many 
successive views, to give a notion of the 
variety of these combinations; but the 
natural causes which have produced 
these phenomena admit of an easy and 
brief explanation. 

A very sharp point of land forms the 
western end of the Isle of Wight. This 
has been broken by the sea, and di- 
vided into several large columnar rocks, 
that now seem to have risen out of the 
waters. These rocks, which are famous 
under the name of " The Needles" stand 
on a line with the extremity of the 
island, of which they were formerly a 
part. They are white, with a black base, 
and curiously streaked with black dots, 
from the alternate strata of Hints. A 



traveller has remarked, that, at a dis- 
tance, they look more like thimbles 
than needles.* The only one of them 
to which the name of needle was at all 
applicable was of a cylindrical shape, 
thin, and above 1 00 feet high, measuring 
from low-water mark ; and this one 
fell down and almost entirely disap- 
peared about sixty years ago, its base 
having been worn through by the con- 
tinual action of the waves and tides. 
Seamen used to call it the ** pillar of 
Lot's wife." It was the farthest from 
the island : its base, consisting mostly 
of Hint, is still visible, and in stormy 
weather it forms a dangerous reef. 
From the chalky nature of this remark- 
ably group of rocks, and of the coast of 
the /island from which they have been 
det iched, continual changes are taking 
pla^e in their form and disposition. In 
some places the sea has eaten them 
through, and formed large and irregular 
archways ; in others, it has so washed 
awiy their sides that they look rather 
lik-5 walls than solid rocks ; while deep 
ca^erns have been formed in the chalky 
clilFs of the island, which fall in from 
tin e to time, and gradually diminish 
the island in that direction. At no 



* V correspondent of the * Penny Magazine' 
says " The word Needles signifies llnderclxjf, aud is 
a corruption of Nieder fels, merely by ellipsis of the 
r and/, in the haste and carelessness of colloquial 
pronunciation. And this derivation is not only 
important in an etymological point of view, but also 
in its physical sense, as it shows that precisely the 
same process took, place formerly with respect to 
the Needles that is now going on at St. Catherine's 
Point, namely, that it was, originally, a landslip, 
then an Underclijf, whence the name ; and that 
subsequently it has been washed by the action of the 
sea into a thousand, fantastic shapes, all probably 
as unlike needles us it is possible to be." 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 



153 



distant period the present Needles, or 
rocks, will have wholly disappeared ; 
but new ones will be formed out of the 
western end or projecting point of the 
Isle of Wight, which, already extremely 
narrow, will be insulated like the Nee- 
dles, w T hen the sea, at work on both 
sides, shall have quite broken through 
the thin partition. Whilst standing on 
this perilous part of the island, in 1811, 
M. Simond says, " We observed, with 
some terror, a long crack along the 
margin of the cliff, cutting off a slice of 
the downs (sheep were quietly feeding 
upon it) of full one acre. This slice 
has settled down already two or three 
feet, and must soon fall. The next 
heavy rain, or frost, or high wind, may 
detach it, — and down it slips 660 feet 
perpendicular ! We had landed yes- 
terday on the flinty beach precisely 
under this cliff, twice as high as those 
of Dover, and more exposed to an open 
sea." 

The Needles' light-house is built on 
the highest point of this western part of 
the island, at au elevation of 715 feet 
above the level of the sea. The building 
is a low truncated cone, but its light 
shines afar like a brilliant star, being 
distinctly seen at sea at the distance of 
i eleven leagues. It is cited as a proof 
of the healthiness of this airy height, 
that an old couple who lived in the light- 
house, and sat up by turns all night to 
attend to the lamps, were never, during 
the long term of nineteen years, hin- 
dered by sickness from attending to 
their duties a single night. It is ob- 
served that at the Needles the tide rises 



only eight feet, and at the whole back 
part of the island no more than nine, 
while at Cowes, on the other side, it 
rises fifteen feet. 

On turning the Needles and the most 
westerly point of the Isle of Wight, into 
ScratchelVs Bay, the rough sublimity 
of the cliffs continues, and there com- 
mences a series of caves that end at 
Freshwater Gate. Scratchell's Bay is 
an indentation much smaller than Alum 
Bay. It is represented in the wood-cut, 
as seen, along with the other objects to 
the west of it, from the front of the cave, 
the magnificent arch of which, 150 feet 
in height, forms the foreground of the 
picture. This is one of numerous caves 
which pierce the Freshwater Cliffs, and 
vary the extraordinary aspect of that vast 
wall of whiteness marked with parallel 
inclined lines of black, " only to be com- 
pared," to use the language of Sir Henry 
Englefield, "to a ruled sheet of paper;" 
that is, the cliffs are for the most part 
perfectly white, with narrow streaks of 
black flint, much inclined to the horizon, 
like the flint streaks of * The Needles.* 
In many parts these cliffs are 400 feet 
in height ; — at one place, called Main 
Beach, their elevation is not less than 
600 feet. Here, however, the precipice 
is not quite perpendicular. The several 
strata form rough projecting shelves, 
that serve as lodgments for the sea-fowl 
and other birds, that congregate here in 
prodigious numbers. There are cormo- 
rants, gulls, puffins, razor-bills, will- 
cocks, Cornish choughs, wild pigeons, 
daws, starlings, &c, that in certain sea- 
sons sit in tiers, the one above the other, 



1.31 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 




ISLE OF WIGHT. 



155 



almost covering the entire face of the 
cliffs. At the report of a gun they 
scream, fly out, and almost darken the 
sky with their countless wings. At 
times flights of these birds skim the air 
in endless circles, and wheel round the 
head of the tourist on wings that seem 
without motion, and with a cry like a 
horse-laugh. One or two species remain 
all the year round, but most of them are 
migratory, coming in May, when they 
lay their eggs in the rocks, and taking 
their departure about the middle of Au- 
gust, after which they are seen no more 
till the next breeding-season. During 
their stay, they are not left undisturbed 
in their seemingly inaccessible retreats. 
Unable to get at them from below by 
climbing, the islanders reach them from 
above by descending the perpendicular 
cliffs, in much the same perilous manner 
as is practised by the Norwegians and 
the hardy natives of the Feroe Islands. 
They drive a large stake or iron bar 
into the top of the cliff;— to this stake 
or bar they fasten a strong rope, at the 
other end of which there is a stick put 
crosswise for the adventurer to sit upon 
or support himself by ; and with this 
simple apparatus he lets himself down 
the front of the horrid precipice. If his 
object is to secure eggs, he halloos as 
he descends, to scare the birds away ; 
but when he wishes to obtain feathers 
and the birds themselves, he goes to 
work in silence, and either catches them 
in their nests or knocks them down with 
a stick as they fly out of their holes. 
The soft feathers of the birds are of 
value, . and find a ready market with 



upholsterers: their flesh, which is rank 
and fishy, is bought by the fishermen, who 
cut it up and use it for their crab-pots 
and other baits. Some of the eggs are 
said to be very good eating. Worsley 
says that in his time a dozen birds 
generally yielded one pound weight of 
soft feathers, which were sold for 8d. 
the pound. 

Standing on the summit of these 
tremendous cliffs, Shakspere might 
have said, with stricter accuracy than 
he did of those of Dover, 

" The murmuring surge, 

That on the unnumbered idle pebbles 

chafes, 
Cannot be heard so high. 5 - 

Here, too, grows samphire, in fine green 
tufts ; and those who gather it, "peril- 
ous trade," are let down by a rope from 
above, in the same manner as the 
fowlers. The pebbles below, over which 
the sea rolls, are black and shiny, being 
mainly flints loosened or dissolved from 
their beds in the chalk, and broken and 
polished by the friction of ages, pro- 
duced by the never-resting tides and 
waves. The water at the foot of the 
cliffs is so clear, that one can see, many 
fathoms deep, to the bottom of it. 

Scratchell's Bay is often visited by 
tourists. The most magnificent view 
down into it, Sir Henry Englefield says, 
is obtained by descending a very steep 
grassy slope, to the edge of one of the 
cliffs in the neighbourhood, and from 
this point the whole of the Needles may 
be seen ; but he advises strangers not 
to attempt to find their way down with- 



156 



JOURNEY-EOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



out taking a guide along with them. 
In his splendid folio, entitled ■ A De- 
scription of the Isle of Wight,' (London, 
1816,) Sir Henry has given various 
views of the scenery in the neighbour- 
hood of this spot. ".Nothing can be 
more interesting," he remarks, " parti- 
cularly to those who take pleasure in 
aquatic excursions, than to sail between 
and round the Needles. The wonder- 
fully coloured cliffs of Alum Bay, the 
lofty and towering chalk precipices of 
Scratchell's Bay, of the most dazzling 
whiteness and the most elegant forms, 
the magnitude and singularity of the 
spiry, insulated masses, which seem at 
every instant to be shifting their situa- 
tions, and give a mazy perplexity to the 
place, the screaming noise of the aquatic 
birds, the agitation of the sea, and the 
rapidity of the tide, occasioning not un- 
frequently a slight degree of danger, 
all these circumstances combine to raise 
in the mind unusual emotions, and to 
give to the scene a character highly 
singular, and even romantic." 

We are now at the back of the island. 
Rowing under Freshwater Cliffs, the 
tourist may visit Neptune's Caves, the 
larger of which is 200 feet deep ;— the 
bay of Watcomb, where the scenery is 
as bold and almost as curious as at 
Alum Bay, — and then Freshwater 
Cave, which is about 120 feet in depth, 
and, taken altogether, the most roman- 
tic of these caverns. A rude fantastic 
arch, about thirty feet high, and of the 
same width, and two lateral arches of 
smaller dimensions, separated from 
each other by a thin rocky column, 



give admittance to this wild and deep 
recess. Looking seaward, from the 
interior of the cave, the view is at once 
curious and beautiful. Through the 
main arch a glorious expanse of ocean 
presents itself; and looking through 
the side arches, which are of an arrow- 
head shape at top, you see part of the 
rocky coast of the Wight as through 
the Gothic windows of a cathedral. 

A little farther on, a detached arched 
rock stands boldly out into Freshwater 
Bay, its rough edges generally crowded 
with screaming wild sea-fowl. It is 
now nearly 600 feet from the cliffs of 
the island, of which it once formed a 
solid part. In the centre of this bay is 
a creek, called Freshwater Gate, with 
a huge columnar rock, rising out of the 
sea immediately before its mouth. It 
is just behind this creek that the Yar 
rises, which river, running due north, 
right across this end of the island, falls, 
as we have said, into the Solent Strait 
at Yarmouth. In the time of Queen 
Elizabeth an earthen redoubt was 
thrown up on the narrow isthmus that 
separates the sea from the river — a bit 
of fortification that cost the sum of 
651/. 11 s. 2\d. precisely. Near to this 
point is Compton Bay, where there is a 
delightful walk on a broad margin of 
silvery sand. Passing the pretty vil- 
lage of Brook, and a curious group of 
small rocks, called the Bull Rocks, 
which are frequently dangerous to 
seamen, we shoot into Brixton Bay. 
Here the cliffs become much lower, and 
are cut and rent towards the sea in an 
extraordinarv manner. These chasms, 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 



157 



which, in the language of the islanders, 
are called Chines, form one of the most 
characteristic features of the coast. 
Sir Richard Worsley has endeavoured 
to explain the etymology of the term 
" chine." " This term," he says, " is 
applied to the back-hone of an animal 
(both in the manege and culinary lan- 
guage), which forms the highest ridge 
of the body. Echine, in the French, is 
used in the same sense ; and Boyer has 
the word chinfreneau for a great cut 
or slash. Hence the word chine might 
be thought peculiarly expressive of a 
high ridge of land cleft abruptly down ; 
and the several parts of the southern 
coast denominated chines all correspond 
with this description." Our worthy 
historian, having got upon the stalking- 
horse of etymology, from which people 
are seldom in a hurry to dismount, goes 
on to prove the derivation of chine from 
a Greek word ; but we may leave the 
matter here, it being enough for our 
readers to understand what is meant 
by the English word in the Isle of 
Wight, or that a chine is a place where 
the ridge of the cliffs is cut through by 
the action of water running seaward 
from the interior of the island, or by 
other means, and where a ravine is 
formed opening to the shore. Every 
one of the chines has a stream of water 
running through it. In Brixton Bay 
there are above a dozen of them ; but 
they are inferior in magnitude and 
picturesque beauty to some we are fast 
approaching. Among them, however, 
Compton Chine and Brooke Chine are 
worth visiting. 



After leaving Brixton Bay and pass- 
ing Atherfield* Point, and another 
group of rocks that lies off it, the 
voyager will find himself in Chale t Bay, 
where freestone cliffs, and of a tremen- 
dous height, impend over the shore. 
Whether seen by sea or land, the views 
here are sublime. On St. Catherine's 
Hill, the most elevated point of the 
whole island, " there is a stern round 
tower of other days,'* which has a happy 
effect in the landscape, and is not un- 
interesting in its history. It was built 
above those terrible precipices as far 
back as the year 1323, by Walter, lord 
of the neighbouring manor of Godyton, 
who assigned certain rents for a chant- 
ing priest to sing mass in it, and also 
to provide light in the tower (which was 
at once a chapel, a hermitage, and a 
pharos), for the safety of seamen in 
dark and stormy weather. At the 
Reformation the trifling revenues were 
sequestrated or alienated, — the poor 
monk ceased his mass, and the lights 
to shine across the deep, where rocks 
and shoals threatened destruction to the 
" night-faring skiff." On the latter 
point, however, 'our regret may be the 
less, as it is asserted that, owing to its 
great elevation, the pharos is so fre- 
quently surrounded with ^mists as to 
render even the best of modern lights 
of no avail there, when they are most 
wanted. By day, and in fine weather, 



* From Aderfeldt, the field with a vein or streak 
through. 

f The word schale signifies "a cup or bowl, also 
a nut-shell; and thus it may mean j the bay in the 
shape of a bowl. 



158 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 







ISLE OF WIGHT. 



159 



however, the old tower still renders 
good service, being an excellent land- 
mark. Mr. Pennant informs us, that 
it was thought of such importance in 
his time, that it was thoroughly and 
solidly repaired, and that, in clearing 
away the rubbish that had fallen in, 
the workmen discovered the form of the 
little chapel, and the floor of the little 
cell in which the pious priest used to 
sleep. This tower stands more than 
800 feet above high-water mark, and 
commands a most extensive view, em- 
bracing the whole of the island, except 
one corner, the Hampshire coast, the 
New Forest, Southampton Water, 
Portsdown Hill, the downs of Sussex, 
Beachy Head, the isles of Portland and 
Purbeck, and (on a very fine day) part 
of the French coast near Cherbourg. 

Chale Bay, which is about three miles 
in extent, is considered very dangerous 
in stormy weather, the shore is every- 
where bold and bluff, and there is 
always a large swell rolling in on it ; 
when that swell is attended with what 
sailors call a ground-sea, not even the 
strongest Newfoundland dog can gain 
the shore by swimming. 

On the coast of the Wight, at the 
foot of this towering eminence, and in 
Chale Bay, occurs one of the finest of 
the chines or ravines, called "Black- 
Gang Chine" This gloomy fissure 
penetrates far into the cliffs that form 
the most southern point of the Isle 
of Wight. At the upper part of it, 
a stream, which no doubt has largely 
contributed to the disruption of the soil 
and the formation of the chasm, falls 



over a ledge of rocks that is nearly 
eighty feet high. At certain seasons, 
after long and heavy rains, this is no 
mean cataract ; but during fine sum- 
mers the scanty stream is retained 
behind the rocky ledge, or merely 
trickles over the brow of the precipice. 
Without this adjunct, however, the 
Chine is wild, picturesque, and gloomily 
sublime. In some places, the cliffs on 
either side of it are nearly 500 feet 
high. These rocks are of the wildest 
forms, and in colour almost black. 
There is scarcely a trace of vegetation. 
The whole scene reminds one of a chasm 
in the Alps, or, still more, of some of 
the lava recesses in the flanks of Mount 
^Etna. Near the Black-Gang Chine, 
and in that very ravine, are some 
curious evidences of the landslips that 
occur so often on these coasts, and alter 
their appearance and character. 

Continuing our circumnavigation, 
and doubling St. Catherine's Point, we 
find ourselves close to that remarkable 
part of the island called the Underclijfl 
where the effects of great and remote 
landslips show themselves on a prodi- 
gious scale. Here a strip, of about six 
miles long and from a quarter to half a 
mile in breadth, seems to have settled 
down and slipped towards the sea, ex- 
hibiting a jumble of rocks overturned 
and broken — mounds of earth — deep 
hollows — and numerous springs, form- 
ing falls of water, collecting into pools, 
and hurrying to the sea.* The cliffs 
that immediately face the sea vary from 

* M. Simond. 



160 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



60 to 100 feet in height, and upon these 
runs the long irregular platform or 
terrace, which is backed on the north 
by a bold abrupt steep — a wall of rock, 
rising from 200 to 300 feet higher. 
These upper or land cliffs are composed 
of horizontal beds of sandstone ; being 
precisely the same material as is seen 
on the broken surface below. It is 
every way evident that the sunken 
tract, or undercliff, was formerly a con- 
tinuation of the high cliff. " The crisis 
of this part of the undercliff," says 
M. Simond, " is evidently of no recent 
date, and the earth has had time to grow 
young again ; for, contrary to the laws 
of organised life, inert nature loses with 
age its original deformity and barren- 
ness, and is indebted to the very dissolu- 
tion of its substance for beauty and 
fecundity." The same observer, in try- 
ing to account for the landslips, thinks 
it probable that the numerous springs 
which now run over the surface of the 
undercliff to the sea, must formerly 
have flowed under it, and may have 
worn wide passages through some soft 
under- strata to the sea, the waves of 
which, penetrating into these fresh- 
water courses, may gradually have un- 
dermined the foundation of the superin- 
cumbent mass so as to make it give way, 
upon which it partly settled down, and 
partly spread out into the sea. 

It should appear that the undercliff 
has been formed rather by a succession 
of landslips, than by one grand fall or 
subsidence. These changes are still 
occurring on a larger or smaller scale, 
at the two extremities of this, the south- 



eastern, side of the island. In the year 
1799 a large tract of the high cliff 
(from eighty to ninety acres) was of a 
sudden seen sinking and sliding towards 
the sea, the surface breaking into 
strange shapes, and yawning chasms, 
closing and opening again. This was 
at the western end of the undercliff, 
near Niton ; and a few years ago a 
slip of land, about a mile to the south 
of that village, gave a good notion of a 
country that had been overturned by a 
dreadful earthquake. The remains of 
a house that had been partly swallowed 
up were still 'seen. Another of these 
landslips happened in the winter of 
1810-1811 at the eastern extremity of 
the undercliff district, close to Bon- 
church. M. Simond, who was on the 
island a few months after this subsi- 
dence, says that it extended over forty 
or fifty acres. The whole of his descrip- 
tion is singular and very spirited. 
" The rents here are frightful, and the 
rocks are in some places ground to 
fragments, bv their friction against each 
other. The old surface, with its vege- 
tation, seems to have been swallowed 
up, and new soil, white and barren, 
substituted. We have seen the roots 
of trees actually standing up in the air, 
while their branches were buried in the 
soil ! a poetical situation, assuredly, 
which put us in mind of that picture of 
the deluge, in which two human feet 
only appear on the surface of the 
waters." [What follows is exceedingly 
consoling to those who are anxious 
for the preservation of the beautiful and 
salubrious undercliff.] " The chaos of 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 



161 



debris that fell, now forms a promontory 
into the sea. The phenomenon of the 
landslips, thus going on at the two 
extremities of the tract (E. and W.), 
and not in the middle, seems to indicate 
that this middle has reached a solid 
basis, and is really now quite firm." 

In 1818 there was another landslip, 
which threw out another little promon- 
tory into the sea. We believe there are 
no records of any loss of human life 
occurring from these moving mountains. 
At all events the peasantry who reside 
on the spot testify but little apprehen- 
sion, their usual answer to any queries 
being, " Oh ! it is all firm and strong 
hereabout." 

The Undercliff, as it has been well 
observed, unites, in a singular manner, 
the pastoral wildness of Scotland, the 
luxuriant vegetation, verdure, and shade 
of the middle parts of England, with a 
bold shore, and an unbounded sea, con- 
tinually traversed by ships. 

The great terrace or platform of the 
Undercliff rests upon a sub-stratum of 
blue marl and is broken above into a 
succession of smaller terraces, rising 
irregularly above one another, and 
diversified with hillocks of all shapes 
and sizes. Wheat grows exceedingly 
well on this perturbed soil, and potatoes 
and all other crops flourish equally. In 
the lower part are some open pastures 
covered with Alderney cows, and flocks 
of sheep hang on the steep downs in 
the background. The trees that have 
been planted thrive in a wonderful 
manner, and with the luxuriant myrtle- 
bushes form on every side the most 



delightful shades, from which cottages 
villas, churches, and villages peep forth 
with beautiful effect. This is indeed a 
favoured nook — an epitome of the 
regions of the fair South, protected and 
sheltered by a felicitous arrangement 
of nature in the regions of the North. 
It is not less healthy than it is lovely 
and picturesque. Doctor James Clark, 
after a careful examination of the places 
on the English coast best suited to 
persons threatened with consumption, 
gives the preference to Torquay, in 
Devonshire, and the Undercliff in the 
Isle of Wight ; and he seems to think 
that many invalids might find those- 
benefits from climate close at home,, 
which they seek in distant countries, 
and too often separated from all their 
friends. " The whole of the Under- 
cliff," he says, " which presents in 
many places scenery of the greatest 
beauty, is dry and free from moist or 
impure exhalations, and is completely 
sheltered from the north, north-east, 
north-west, and west winds, by a range 
of lofty downs or hills of chalk and 
sandstone, which rise boldly from the 
upper termination of these terraces, in 
elevations varying from 400 to 600 and 
700 feet ; leaving Undercliff open only 
in a direct line to the south-east, and 
obliquely to the east and south-west 
winds, which rarely blow here with 
great force. * * * * Indeed it is 
matter of surprise to me, after having 
fully examined this favourite spot, that 
the advantages it possesses in so eminent 
a degree, in point of shelter and exposi- 
tion, should have been so long over- 

M 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 



163 



looked in a country like this, whose 
inhabitants, during the last century, 
have been traversing half the globe in 
search of climate. The physical struc- 
ture of this singular district has been 
carefully investigated and described by 
the geologist, and the beauty of its 
scenery has been often dwelt upon by 
the tourist; but its far more important 
qualities, as a winter residence for the 
delicate invalid, seem scarcely to have 
attracted attention, even from the me- 
dical philosopher."* This inattention, 
however, no longer exist : within these 
last six or seven years medical men 
have turned their views towards that 
spot, and accommodations for invalids 
have been materially improved and in- 
creased. Dr. Clark, to whom the praise 
of much of this result is due, may live 
to see the accomplishment of his predic- 
tion, that " the Isle of Wight will have 
added to its title of the Garden of Eng- 
land, that of the British Madeira." 

In this little strip of mild climate and 
dry soil, snow is rarely seen, and frosts 
are only partially felt. The myrtle, the 
sreranium, and many other foreign 
plants, flourish luxuriantly in the open 
air all through the year. In the winter 
months the mean temperature of the 
atmosphere at eight o'clock in the 
morning is about 45 Q . But it is time 
to leave this " happy valley," where we 
have tarried long. 

Continuing our excursion by sea, and 
keeping under the cliff, we soon come 



* ' The Influence of Climate in the Prevention 
and Cure of Chronic D.seases, &e.' 



to Steephill Cove, an exceedingly pretty 
spot, but which, however, yields the 
palm of beauty and picturesqueness to 
Ventnor Cove, about a mile farther on, 
and near the eastern extremity of the 
Undercliff. Here the upland downs, the 
very edges of which are seen fringed 
with sheep and cattle, stand out in bold 
eminence ; there is a cliff and a little 
stream that tumbles from it, after work- 
ing a mill ; lower down, on some shelv- 
; ing rocks, there is a group of fishermen's 
j cottages, disposed as if a painter had 
had the arranging of them — nets, 
drying in the sun, baskets, oars, sails, 
" scattered all about," make up one of 
those marine pictures which can hardly 
be seen without delight ; and finally, in 
front of these thatched cottages, there is 
a wide and beautiful beach, and then a 
far- spreading transparent sea. 

Soon after turning the extremity of 
the Undercliff at East Point, above 
which towers the rugged and lofty hill 
of Bonchurch, we come to Luccombe 
Chine, which presents the picturesque 
features of rushing streams, hanging 
woods, scattered cottages, dark brown 
cliffs, and a fine sea-shore. About a 
mile farther on (to the N.E.) occurs 
another of these curious ravines, deeply 
cut through the cliff by an inconsider- 
able rill. This is called Sfianklin Chine, 
and is the most beautiful and most fre- 
quently visited of all the chines. Seen 
from below, it appears as if the solid cliff 
had been rent in twain from top to bot- 
tom : — the mouth of the gap is very 
wide; its sides are on one hand almost 
perpendicular, on the other (to the right) 
M 2 



164 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 




[ShafckliD.] 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 



165 



more shelving, and partially clad with 
grass and moss, bushes, and wild flow- 
ers, and shaded with tall graceful trees, 
among which, high over the head of 
the tourist who approaches by sea, are 
a few cottages, most picturesquely dis- 
posed. On this side a long rude flight 
of steps leads up the cliff to a quiet little 
inn. The beach below this chine affords 
a delightful walk when the tide is out. 

We are now in Sandown Bay, which 
sweeps in a beautiful curve from Shank- 
lin Chine to the Culver rocks. At the 
farther end of this bay, where the shores 
are flat and of easy access to an enemy, 
stands Sandown Fort, a small work 
erected in the time of Charles I., and 
near to it they show a quiet little cot- 
tage, which was once the residence of 
the turbulent and restless John Wilkes. 
The contrast between the nature of this 
secluded spot and the character of the 
man is rather interesting. According to 
his biographer, Wilkes bought Sandown 
Cottage, in Sandown Bay, in the parish 
of Brading, at the south-east end of the 
Isle of Wight, from Colonel (afterwards 
General) James Barker, of Stickworth, 
in the Isle of Wight, in May, 1788. He 
resided there a good deal till his death 
in December, 1797, and (according to 
this authority) by many improvements 
made it a very elegant abode. The 
cottage had been formerly in the occu- 
pation of the Earl of Winchilsea. Wilkes 
was accustomed to call it his VillaAzVz, 
and he dated many of his letters from 
the place. 

At the distance of about two miles 
from this spot, however, and to the south- 



east of it, the vast chalky precipice, 
called Culver Cliff, shows itself with 
fine effect. A bed of coal, which is 
about three feet thick, and dips to the 
north, is seen at the foot of the preci- 
pice. This fossil occurs in some other 
parts of the Isle of Wight, but in such 
thin veins as not to answer the expense 
of working it. The summit of the cliff 
is about 400 feet above the level of the 
sea, and affords a fine view across the 
British Channel. The name of Culver* 
according to Mr. Pennant, is derived 
from the Anglo-Saxon Culfre, a pigeon, 
and applied here on account of the 
swarms of those birds which make the 
cliff their haunt.* The same writer tells 
us, that at certain seasons these pigeons 
make most amazing flights, going daily, 
in vast flocks, as far as the neighbour- 
hood of Oxford, to feed on the turnip- 
fields, and returning again to Culver 
Cliff and the Freshwater Cliffs, where 
they pass the night. The Culver is 
also much frequented by auks, and other 
birds that love to nestle in the holes 
and crannies of precipices. In former 
times it was famous for a breed of 
hawks much used in the sport of hawk- 
ing, and of so valuable a kind that in 
1564 Queen Elizabeth issued her war- 
rant to Richard Worsley, Esq., captain 
of the island, to make diligent search 



* Another origin of the word has been sug- 
gested : upon all these eminences in former days, 
and especially in troublesome times, beacons are 
said to have been lighted. Charcoal was probably 
used here, and it may thence have been called 
* Kohlen (vulgarly Kohl) Feuer Point.' Abridged 
to 'Kulfer,' it is now written 'Culver,' v being 
merely substituted lor /. 



1(56 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



after some that had been stolen, as also 
"for the persons faultie of this stealth 
and presumptuous attempt." 

The grand scenery of these coasts 
terminates at Culver Cliff. Doubling 
the eastern extremity of the island, 
called the Foreland, and then coming 
to Eembridge Point, the tourist will 
find himself at the narrow mouth of 
Brading Haven, which is a shallow arm 
of the sea at high water ; but a large 
and ugly puddle, with very little water 
in it, when the tide is out. Between 
800 and 900 acres of marshy land are 
overflown at every tide, and rendered 
useless. "My adventurous and noble 
countryman, Sir Hugh Middleton," says 
Pennant, " in the time of James I., in 
concert with Sir Bevis Thelwal, of the 
house of Bathavern, in Denbighshire, 
and page of the king's bedchamber, 
employed a number of Dutchmen to 
recover it from the sea by embankment ; 
7000£. were expended in the work, but 
partly by the badness of the soil, which 
proved a barren sand — partly by the 
choking of the drains for the fresh water 
— by the weeds and mud brought by the 
sea — but chiefly by a furious tide which 
made a breach in the bank, they were 
obliged to desist, and put a stop to their 
expensive project." 

The small town of Bembridge stands 
near the mouth of Brading Haven, to 
the east ; and the town and church of 
Brading are picturesquely situated on 
the slope of a bill at the bottom of the 
haven. At a short distance from the 
mouth of Brading Haven is the pretty 
village of St. Helen's, built round a 



green near the sea; and from this point 
there is a succession of gentle, rural 
views as far as Ryde, which, a poor 
fishing village about eighty years ago, 
is now a considerable and beautiful 
town, surrounded, like Cowes, with 
groves, villas, and cottages. There is 
a fine view of Calshot Castle ; of Ports- 
mouth, at seven miles distance ; of its 
harbour, often full of shipping ; of Spit- 
head, with men-of-war riding there ; 
and, not to mention numerous other 
objects, of the distant spire of Chichester 
Cathedral. There is a good shore for 
bathing, with bathing-machines, warm 
baths, and all necessary comforts. The 
long bold pier of Ryde, which was begun 
in 1813 and finished in 1814, has been 
much admired, and it is a very great 
convenience, as passengers can land 
there at all times, whether the tide be 
high or low. In the interior of the town 
there are a few public edifices, built in 
a neat if not elegant style. After leaving 
Ryde we pass the hamlet and church of 
B instead, the delightful little wood 
called Quarr Copse, in which are the 
ruins of an abbey, and then reach the 
mouth of Fishbourne Creek, through 
which a small river called the Wootton 
discharges itself into the sea. By the 
village of Fishbourne, which is some- 
times called Fish House, there is a ship- 
yard, where some of the light, fast, and 
elegant yachts belonging to the Yacht 
Club have been built. During the last 
war some gun-brigs, and, it is even said 
with pride, some frigates, were launched 
from these stocks. Above Wootton 
Bridge the banks of the river rise in 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 



167 



beautiful elevations, and are in some parts 
covered with little woods and copses to 
the very brink of the stream. At low 
water there is a practicable and very 
pleasant walk along the sea-shore from 
Ryde to Fishbourne. The village of 
Wootton Bridge, which is only par- 
tially seen from the mouth of the creek, 
is quiet and picturesque. From Fish- 
bourne Creek to the harbour of Cowes, 
whence we started on this voyage, the 
coast is finely wooded ; luxuriant forest- 
trees at some points seeming almost to 
grow out of the sea. This tract, indeed, 
excels all other parts of the island in 
woodland scenery, and forms a striking 
contrast with the bare, perpendicular, 
chalky cliffs we have recently passed. 
The view from the sea is refreshing 
beyond measure ; and in the calm of a 
summer's evening the music of thou- 
sands of birds, nestling in those green 
recesses, floats over the waves, and is 
heard far from the shore, while the 
breath of flowers and fragrant plants 
sweetens the air, whither, to use an 
expression of Lord Bacon's, ■' it comes 
and goes like the warbling of music." 

The sort of tour we have here been 
contemplating, in its perfection sup- 
poses the party to have a boat at their 
own disposal for three or four days, 
during which they can leisurely observe 
all the points on the coast, being sure 
to find a comfortable little inn every 
night. The halts may be made at Yar- 
mouth, or at the Needles Hotel (which 
is close to Alum Bay, to the rocks, and 
to all the finest of the coast scenery) ; 
at the Undercliff; and then at Ryde or 



Cowes. The trip may be prolonged 
and easily shortened ; but four days can 
hardly be spent in a more delightful 
manner by the lover of nature. If pre- 
ferred, boats may be procured from 
point to point, those of Cowes and Yar- 
mouth being particularly good. During 
the fine season of the year there are 
steam-boats, both from Cowes and 
Ryde, that make the voyage round the 
island in from eight to ten hours' time. 
This is a short, cheap, and delightful 
excursion for such as have not time 
for a more deliberate survey and exa- 
mination of the beauties and phenomena 
of the Isle of Wight. 

TOURS IN THE INTERIOR OF THE 
ISLAND. 

We have noticed some of the princi- 
pal scenes and objects on the coast of 
the Isle of Wight, and shall now pro- 
ceed to describe some parts of the inte- 
rior of the island, which offers to the 
tourist, and to the pedestrian in parti- 
cular, such a number of beautiful short 
excursions as is scarcely to be met with 
elsewhere. 

The general characteristics of the 
scenery by land are gracefulness and 
fertility, the central range of downs, 
though at some points bold, not attaining 
to sublimity. It offers that blending pas- 
ture and pastoral life, with arable land 
farming, and gardening, which is always 
so agreeable to the eye and imagina- 
tion. In former times the isle was 
uncommonly rich in forest scenery, and 
although some of the woods have 
wholly disappeared to supply timber to 
the dockyards of Portsmouth, and others 



1G8 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



have been much thinned, the country is 
still well sprinkled with trees. The 
almost invariable recurrence of fine 
woodland scenery, in connexion with 
glimpses of the sea, is a peculiar feature 
of the Isle of Wight. Water is not 
wanting. Besides the rivers Yar and 
Medina, which flow right across the 
island from south to north, and admit 
vessels with their snow-white sails far 
inland, among trees and hills, there are 
numerous streams and springs of less 
note scattered over the country. Indeed 
almost every valley has its flowing 
stream, the waters of which, from the 
natural percolation they undergo 
through limestone strata, are in general 
singularly pure and transparent. Vil- 
lages and mills on the banks of these 
clear streams, with rustic bridges across 
their beds, and cattle lowing on their 
brinks, continually serve to make out 
those pleasant, cool, rural pictures which 
please even in words. From the small 
size of the island, and the comparative 
short course of the longest of these 
rivers and rivulets to the sea, they never 
overflow or spoil their banks. When 
many parts of England are oppressed 
with Hoods and inundations, the people 
of the Wight are wholly exempt from 
those evils, having all the benefit 
and beauty of flowing waters, without 
being liable to their devastation. With 
the exception of those streams which 
trickle through the chines, at the south 
side of the island, all the waters of the 
Wight have a northerly course, and 
fall into the Solent sea that separates 
the island from the Hampshire coast. 



The course of the main chain of hills, 
as we have already stated, is from east 
to west ; it has in all its extent the 
character of downs, and presents in 
some parts far-spreading carpets of turf, 
and odorous thyme, and wild flowers 
that cannot be trod without delight to 
more senses than one. 

FIRST EXCURSION. 

Leaving Cowes, which we made our 
point of departure for the coast voyage, 
the tourist may walk or ride by a plea- 
sant inland road to Newport, the capi- 
tal, which is situated almost in the very 
centre of the island; or he may go to 
that town by water, ascending the 
river Medina, which is called Mede in 
ancient deeds, probably from the Latin 
medium (middle), the river dividing the 
island in the midst. (This particular 
stream, we may mention, en passant, 
abounds near its mouth with flat-fish 
and excellent oysters.) From Cowes to 
Newport, by land, is about four miles 
and a half, and as the river does not 
wind much, the ascent by water is very 
little more. The tide flows up almost to 
Newport bridge, and carries large barges 
to the quay of the town, which is 
built at a point in front of Newport, 
where another stream forms its junction 
with the Medina. Here the fertile, 
pleasant valley of the river, chequered 
with gardens and groves, the neat, 
thriving town, the vessels loading or 
unloading, and the fertile hills that 
encircle the whole, afford a scene which 
is at once tranquil and animated. 

Newport, the capital, is the most 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 



169 



ancient existing town of the island, and 
is still the place that has the greatest 
trade and the largest fixed population ; 
for Cowes and Ryde are more the 
resorts of pleasure, and lose more than 
half of their occupants at the departure 
of summer. The agriculturist ships his 
corn and other produce on the Medina, 
which bears it down to the seaport at 
Cowes, and the returning barges bring 
articles of manufacture, coals, iron, 
timber, tea, coffee, and whatever else 
maybe wanted, back to Newport, which 
is a central depot, and furnishes nearly 
all the interior and back of the island. 
Sir Richard Worsley tells us that in his 
time, on every Saturday (the principal 
market-day), no fewer than 200 waggon 
loads of different kinds of grain were 
brought into Newport, amounting to 
1400 or 1500 quarters; great part of 
w r hich w T as made on the island into flour 
©r malt, or biscuit for the navy, and the 
rest exported. The present population 
$f Newport is about 4500 souls. The 
town is situated on a very easy ascent 
of ground, and chiefly disposed in three 
parallel streets in length, and as many 
in breadth. At the points wdiere these 
streets intersect, there are three squares 
which serve as market-places, but which 
have been much encroached upon by 
recent builders. The dwelling- houses^ 
generally built of brick, are neat and 
convenient, without any pretension to 
grandeur or elegance. The town, on 
the whole, notwithstanding its antiquity, 
has a modern air, but there are a few 
old buildings in it. The Free Grammar 
School was erected in 1 6 19, in the reign 



of James I., and here, in 1648, James's 
son, the first Charles, then a prisoner at 
Carisbrook Castle, entered upon the 
remarkable treaty with the commis- 
sioners from Parliament, which goes 
by the name of the treaty of Newport. 
The school- room, in which the con- 
ferences that lasted forty days were 
held, is about fifty feet long, and inter- 
nally has undergone slight alteration 
since the time when its e walls echoed 
the voices of the unfortunate Charles 
and his advisers, of Hollis, Vane, Glyn, 
and the rest of those commissioners 
who eventually left the island wdth a 
firm determination to bring the king's 
head to the scaffold. 

In the church, an old but frequently 
repaired edifice, built originally in 
the year 1 1 72, towards the end of the 
reign of Henry II., and dedicated to 
St.Thomas a Becket, (whose murder and 
canonization were then recent events,) 
was discovered, in 1793, the coffin of 
Charles's second daughter, the Lady- 
Elizabeth Stuart, who died a prisoner 
in Carisbrook Castle, about a year and 
seven months after her father's execu- 
tion at Whitehall. According to the 
royalist party of the time, she was 
poisoned, but there is no more truth in 
this report (usual with all such person- 
ages and at such times) than there is in 
the odd story that the republicans once 
intended to bind her highness appren- 
tice to a button-maker. Elizabeth was 
only fifteen years of age, nearly three of 
which she had passed in confinement. 
The body was inclosed in a leaden 
coffin, which had^ this legible inscrip- 



170 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



tion : — Elizabeth 2d Davghter of ye 
late King Charles Deced. Sept 8th 
mdcl. The spot was originally marked 
by a small stone, bearing the initials 
E. S., but soon after the discovery of 
the vault a small brass plate with a 
brief inscription was placed over it, 
inlaid in the floor of the church just 
within the screen. In another part of 
the church is a curious sculptured 
monument to Sir Edward Horsey, a 
Captain of the Wight in the time 
of Queen Elizabeth. Sir Edward was 
a brave and fortunate commander, by 
sea and by land. He was much be- 
loved by the favourite, the Earl of 
Leicester, who intrusted him with the 
secret of his clandestine marriage with 
Lady Douglas Sheffield, whom the 
knight gave away in person. This 
circumstance, however, did not prevent 
his denying or concealing all knowledge 
of the nuptials when the worthless earl 
fancied another fair one. In reward 
for services like these the favourite gave 
him the captaincy of the island; and 
though foully obtained, Sir Edward 
discharged his trust very much to the 
satisfaction of the islanders. It is 
recorded of him that he stocked the 
country with game, and gave a young 
lamb for every live hare brought into it 
that was fit for breeding. 

The market-house and Town Hall of 
Newport form, together, a building of 
some importance, and though the archi- 
tecture is somewhat open to criticism, 
the edifice is neat if not elegant. It was 
begun in the year 1 S 1 4, finished in 1 8 1 6, 
and cost 10,000/. Within the Hall is 



still held a Curia Militum, or Knight's 
court (a curious relic of the olden time) 
in which the governor's deputy or stew- 
ard presides ; the court having jurisdic- 
tion in all civil matters where less than 
the value of 40s. is involved, in every 
part of the island, with the exception of 
the borough of Newport. The founder 
of this feudal court is supposed to have 
been the first Norman Lord of Wight, 
and the judges, who decide without a 
jury, are all such as hold a knight's fee 
from the lord. A still greater ornament 
to Newport is the 'Isle of Wight Insti- 
tution/ an elegant edifice, erected by 
subscription in 1811, and now well fur- 
nished with books and periodical publi- 
cations. The town has also a ' Mecha- 
nics' Institution,' and other societies for 
the promotion of literature and educa- 
tion. The House of Industry, in the 
vicinity of Newport, is a spacious build- 
ing, founded soon after the year 1770, 
for the accommodation and education of 
the poor of the island. Eighty acres of 
productive land are attached to it, 
divided into fields and gardens, which 
are cultivated by the inmates. The house 
can afford proper accommodation for 
1000. On the edge of King's Forest, or 
Parkhurst, not far from the House of 
Industry, are the Albany barracks, with 
an excellent military hospital and 
grounds attached to them. The barracks 
were begun at the end of the year 1798, 
and were almost constantly occupied 
during the last war. The hospital of 
the barracks is now appropriated as a 
prison on a large scale for the reforma- 
tion of juvenile criminals. 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 



171 



The fair of Newport, which collects 
people from all parts of the island, is 
celebrated for its display of female 
beauty, which, as we mentioned, is a 
very general quality in the Isle of 
Wight. In the olden time, however, 
not only was this claim disallowed, but 
other imputations were maliciously cast 
upon the Wight by its neighbours. The 
classification is curious. The worthy 
Sir John Oglander, who began to write 
a history of his native place in 1615, 
says indignantly — " It is, and hath been, 
a tax laid on this island, that it never 
produces any extraordinary fair hand- 
some woman, nor a man of any super- 
eminent gifts in wit or wisdom, or — a 



horse excellent for goodness. Now I 
can answ 7 er that no part of England, in 
general, the quantity considered, hath 
produced more exquisite in either species 
than this island." 

From the town of Newport, where the 
tourist will find several comfortable inns, 
there are coaches which go daily to and 
return from Cowes and Ryde at stated 
hours. These short journeys afford a 
great variety of pleasing scenery, and 
may be recommended to those who have 
little time for seeing the island. No one, 
however, should turn back from New- 
port without seeing Carisbrook, which is 
only a mile and a half from the town, 
and the most memorable place in the 




[Carisbrook Castle.] 



172 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



whole island. A beautiful public pro- 
menade, called the Mall, leads nearly- 
all the way from the town to the village. 
The approach to Carisbrook, with 
its old romantic castle (one of the most 
ancient in these kingdoms) towering 
high above it, is exceedingly picturesque, 
and highly interesting from historical 
associations. The village and the church, 
with its steeple, Gothic arches, and em- 
battled towers, are prettily situated on 
the slope of an ascending hollow or 
dell which is backed by the downs, and 
richly studded with trees, from the ver- 
dure of which the light blue smoke of 
the cottagers' fires is seen rising with that 
effect which, though constantly described 
both by pen and pencil, is never ob- 
served in reality without emotion. 
Though now a mere village, Carisbrook 
was the capital of all the island under the 
independent lords of Wight ; but when 
Isabella de Fortibus, the last of those 
petty sovereigns, sold the regalities (in 
1291) to the English crown, Newport 
began to rise in importance, and soon 
became the metropolis, for which its 
central situation on a navigable river, 
and other advantages, best suited it. 
The present church of Carisbrook, which 
contains some uncouth sculpture, and a 
curious epitaph in memory of Captain 
Keeling, a naval hero of the time of 
Elizabeth and the first James, is sup- 
posed to stand upon the ground of a 
Saxon church built some centuries be- 
fore the Norman conquest, and called 
" the Church of the Manner of the Fair 
Valley." Evidences of the rude arts of 
the Saxons were discovered many years 



ago near some of the fine springs of ex- 
cellent water that exist in and near to the 
village. The church of Carisbrook is 
remarkable for having eight choice bells, 
which, according to one of the local his- 
torians, " are perhaps as musical bells 
as were ever cast." Adjoining to the 
church, which stands on a gentle emi- 
nence, are the ruins of a priory of Cis- 
tercian monks, founded soon after the 
Norman conquest by Fitz-Osborne Earl 
of Hereford, of whom we have spoken 
in a preceding page. The paltry 
remains of this once extensive and 
stately edifice are now converted into 
sheds and stables dependent on a farm- 
house hard by. There is scarcely enough 
of the priory left to make a picturesque 
ruin. Not so of the castle which stands 
'opposite to it, but on a much higher 
eminence ; where towers, keep, and 
barbican, ramparts and battlements, 
frown along the steep, and are just suffi- 
ciently ruined and ivy-clad to be emi- 
nently romantic and picturesque. The 
keep, and the artificial mound it stands 
on, which lies to the north, and is much 
higher than the ground-plan of the rest 
of the fortress, are generally supposed 
to have been raised by the Saxons as 
early as the sixth century. 

In the eleventh century Fitz-Osborne, 
the Norman, included this portion in 
his larger castle, which covered the space 
of an acre and a half, and was of a 
square form, with rounded angles ; the 
base of the whole being surrounded by 
a fosse or ditch. In this Norman castle 
the lords of that race lived in all the 
splendour and with all the tyranny of 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 



173 



those times. All lands were held of it, 
and on condition of serving it and de- 
fending it at all times from the enemy. 
Hence it was called the " Honour of 
Carisbrook." 



Fitz-Osborne's castle was repaired and 
enlarged during the reign of Richard II., 
by Montacute, Earl of Salisbury; and it 
was again enlarged, and some parts wholly 
rebuilt by Lord Widville in the time of 




LCarisbrook Castle— The Keep.] 



174 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



Edward IV., when the noble main gate- 
way, and the great round towers which 
flank it, were erected. Extensive addi- 
tions were subsequently made ; the last 
by Queen Elizabeth, when the outer 
walls, which still remain, were made to 
enclose no less than twenty acres of land. 
These works were erected according to 
the modern rules of fortification, under 
the direction of Genebella, an Italian, 
who is said (we can scarcely see why) to 
have imitated the famed citadel of Ant- 
werp. On an attentive examination the 
tourist will detect several specimens of 
the Norman age, and a very small por- 
tion of what seems Saxon architecture, 
on the western side of the castle next 
the entrance. Among the curiosities 
pointed out by the guides to the stran- 
ger's notice are two wells — the one in 
the centre of the keep, said to have been 
300 feet deep, but now partially filled up; 
the other in the castle-yard, 200 feet 
deep, where water is drawn up by means 
of a wheel, turned by an ass. The sober 
quadruped works precisely in the same 
fashion as did the dogs called " turn- 
spits" in our kitchens in former times. 
The wheel is broad and hollow, and fur- 
nished inside with steps, or projecting 
pieces of wood ; the ass is introduced 
into the interior of the wheel, and by 
treading from one of these steps to ano- 
ther turns it round, and makes the wheel 
act like a windlass. Pennant, Gilpin, 
Hassel, and our other tourists of the last 
century, speak of a poor donkey that 
performed this duty uninterruptedly for 
the surprising long space of forty years, 
and was then turned out to enjoy his old 



age in the paddock. This second well 
is also famed for having the property of 
echoing the fall of a pin in a most sin- 
gular manner. 

The most modern part of the castle 
is the chapel of St. Nicholas, which 
was entirely rebuilt by George II. 

Carisbrook Castle was in one instance 
made memorable by the heroism of a 
female, whose adventures in some re- 
spects resembled those of the celebrated 
royalist the Countess of Derby, and 
Queen of the Isle of Man. At an early 
stage of the civil war, Jerome, Earl of 
Portland, who had been governor for 
Charles I. during many years, was re- 
moved by Parliament as a Catholic, or 
as one who at least was a favourer of 
popery. Shortly after, when he was 
suddenly imprisoned in London on this 
ground, and further accused by the 
Commons of a thoughtless and profligate 
expenditure of public money in ammu- 
nition, entertainments, and the drinking 
of loyal toasts in Carisbrook, the princi- 
pal inhabitants of the island drew up a 
petition in favour of their " noble and 
much honoured and beloved captain and 
governor," in which, dropping all allu- 
sion to his wasting of the ammunition, 
&c, they stuck to the more important 
question of his religious faith, declaring 
that not only he was a good Protestant, 
but that there was not one professed 
Papist, or favourer of Papacy, in the 
whole Isle of Wight. This petition 
being disregarded by Parliament, they 
drew up a spirited remonstrance, in 
which they spoke of defending them- 
selves by arms, and admitting no new 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 



175 



governor that was not appointed by the 
king. Twenty- four knights and squires 
signed this paper, but the people were 
very differently inclined ; and they were 
led by Moses Read, the mayor of New- 
port, who declared in favour of Parlia- 
ment, and transmitted a representation 
on the great danger accruing to the state 
from the Countess of Portland being 
allowed to continue in the castle, and 
retain Colonel Brett there as her warden. 
Read soon received orders to seize the 
fortress, and secure Colonel Brett, the 
countess, her five children, and other 
relatives who had taken shelter within 
the walls ; and he marched uponCaris- 
brook with the militia of Newport, and 
400 sailors drawn from the vessels at 
anchor in the island. The garrison of 
the old castle did not exceed twenty 
men, but the countess resolved not to 
surrender it except on honourable con- 
ditions. At the approach of the force 
from Newport, with a lighted match in 
her hand she walked deliberately to one 
of the bastions, declaring she would fire 
the first cannon at the foe. Moses Read, 
who had expected no resistance, soon 
came to terms with the bold countess, 
and the castle was surrendered on con- 
ditions. The countess was soon after- 
wards removed from the island. No 
other attempt was made at resistance, 
and' though somewhat agitated by 
Charles's residence in Carisbrook a few 
years later, the Wight remained enviably 
tranquil during the whole of the civil 
war. This fortunate circumstance in- 
vited many families from the neigh- 
bouring counties which were exposed to 



the horrors of warfare, to go and settle 
there ; in consequence of which the 
rents of farms rose in proportion of from 
20/. to 100/., and did not find their ordi- 
nary level until the Restoration.* 

The most memorable incident in 
the history of Carisbrook Castle is 
the detention here of King Charles I. 
the year before his execution. The 
unfortunate monarch fled from Hamp- 
ton Court on the 5th of Novem- 
ber, 1647, attended by two confiden- 
tial servants, but without having de- 
termined upon any particular place in 
which to take refuge. They rode all 
night, and finding themselves at day- 
break in the New Forest in Hampshire, 
it was resolved to repair to Titchfield, a 
seat of the Earl of Southampton, in the 
neighbourhood of which they were. 
This, however, was not a place in which 
his majesty could remain in security ; 
and, after some deliberation, it was 
deemed best to send a message to Colonel 
Hammond, the Governor of the Isle of 
Wight, intimating the king's desire to 
avail himself of his protection. Charles 
thought that he might expect to find a 
friend in the colonel, who was the ne- 
phew of his chaplain, Dr. Henry Ham- 
mond ; but he was, in fact, a devoted 
partisan of Cromwell, through whose 
interest he had married a daughter of 
Hampden, and had also obtained his 
post of governor at this station. At first, 
however, on receiving the king into Ca- 
risbrook Castle, he treated him as a 
guest rather than as a prisoner — permit- 

* Sir It. Worsley's History. 



176 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



ting him to ride wherever he chose, and 
to receive all who desired to see him. It 
was not till after some time that his 
movements were subjected to any re- 
triction. Hammond then informed him 
that orders had been sent down for the 
instant dismissal of all his attendants ; 
and they were accordingly compelled to 
take their leave the day following. As 
soon as they were gone, it was further 
intimated to the unhappy king that he 
must for the future consider himself as 
a prisoner within the walls of the castle. 
He was still, however, allowed as much 
freedom as was compatible with this 
species of confinement — being permitted 
to walk on the ramparts, and to amuse 
himself in a bowling-green, which Ham- 
mond caused to be formed for that pur- 
pose in a part of the castle-yard. He 
usually indulged himself in the former 
exercise in the morning, and in the lat- 
ter in the afternoon. Much of his leisure 
was also occupied in reading; his fa- 
vourite books being the Bible, the works 
of Hooker, Bishop Andrews, and Dr. 
Hammond, Herbert's Poems, the Jeru- 
salem Delivered of Tasso, in the original, 
and Fairfax's translation of that poem, 
Ariosto, and Spenser's Fairy Queen. 
Many persons, it would appear, also still 
contrived to gain admission to his pre- 
sence, under the pretext of desiring to 
be touched for the king's evil. The con- 
dition in which he was kept, however, 
was now undisguisedly that of a pri- 
soner ; and his thoughts as well as those 
of his friends were naturally directed to 
the means by which he might effect his 
escape. The several attempts which he 



made for this purpose may be found 
detailed in the 4 Threnodia Carolina' of 
Sir Thomas Herbert, and still more mi- 
nutely in Sir Richard Worsley's History 
of the Isle of Wight, where many parti- 
culars are published for the first time 
from manuscript documents. The first 
attempt was made on the 29th of De- 
cember, and failed through the misma- 
nagement of its conductor Capt. Burley, 
the captain of Yarmouth Castle, who 
was besides so unfortunate as to be him- 
self apprehended and executed for his 
share in the enterprise. To Charles 
the only result was increased severity 
of treatment and greater watchfulness 
on the part of his jailors. Some time 
after, at the suggestion of a person of 
the name of Firebrace, who had con- 
trived to find access to him by bribing 
the sentinels, he was induced to endea- 
vour to escape from his window during 
the night ; but after getting his head 
through the bars he could not force 
through the rest of his body. Aqua fortis 
and files were then conveyed to him ; 
but by this time the governor had ob- 
tained some intimation of his formei 
attempt ; and when, after having de- 
stroyed one of the bars, the king was 
about to pass through the opening, he 
observed a number of people on the 
watch below, and instantly retired to 
bed. It is said that a Major Rolfe, who 
happened at the time to have charge of 
the castle, declared he was ready to have 
shot his majesty should he have actually 
commenced making his descent. After 
these repeated failures in the effort to 
obtain his liberty, Charles so completely 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 



177 



abandoned himself to despair as even to 
neglect his person, allowing both his 
hair and his beard to remain undipped, 
and uncombed, till his appearance be- 
came at last savage and desolate in the 
extreme. In this state he remained till 
the 18th of September, 1648, when he 
was permitted to remove to Newport to 
confer with commissioners appointed for 
that purpose by the parliament, on giving 
his promise that he w r ould not make use 
of the opportunity to attempt his escape. 
On the 29th of November he was seized 
here by a party of soldiers, and conveyed 
to Hurst Castle, on the coast of Hamp- 



shire, which he left only to undergo his 
trial and execution about six weeks 
after. The apartments in which he was 
confined at Carisbrook Castle are now 
in ruins — but a window is still pointed 
out as that by which he made the seve- 
ral attempts that have just been related 
to regain his liberty. This part of the 
castle is on the left hand upon entering 
the first court from the gate. A short 
distance further on, and on the same 
side, are the governor's apartments, 
almost the only portion of the interior 
of the castle which is now in a state of 
repair. 



fta 




fCausbrook Castle : the Window from which Charles I. attempted to escape.] 



17S 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



It was subsequently to the execution 
of Charles (for he had not the pleasure 
of their society there), that his two 
youngest children, the Duke of Glou- 
cester and the Princess Elizabeth, of 
whom we have spoken in describing 
Newport Church, became inmates of Ca- 
risbrook Castle. They at first lived with 
the Countess of Leicester at Penshurst, 
in Kent, where Parliament allowed 
3000/. a-year for their maintenance, 
When they were removed to this castle, 
the young Duke was attended by his 
tutor, one Mr. Lovel, M an honest man," 
as Clarendon calls him, and both he and 
his sister were humanely treated. One 
of their greatest hardships, next to their 
loss of liberty, appears to have been the 
Parliament's order, " That no person 
should be permitted to kiss their hands, 
and that they should not be otherwise 
treated than as the children of a gentle- 
man." Mildmay, who was then captain 
of the castle, observed this order very 
exactly, so that the Duke was never 
called by any other style than Master 
Harry. Two years after the death of 
his sister Elizabeth, the young duke 
was liberated by the advice and influ- 
ence of Cromwell, who caused 500/. to 
be paid by the Treasury to defray the 
expenses of removing him to the conti- 
nent — the only condition imposed being 
that he should sail directly from the 
Isle of Wight, and not touch at any part 
of the English coast. 

After the removal of the Duke of 
Gloucester, the Commonwealth conti- 
nued to use Carisbrook Castle as a state- 
prison. One of the most remarkable of 



the inmates of Carisbrook, at a some- 
what later period of the Commonwealth, 
was Sir William Davenant, the poet, 
and god-son (at least) of Shakspere. 
Davenant had adhered to the court, and 
fought repeatedly in the field against 
the Parliamentary forces. On the down- 
fall of his party he tied beyond seas, 
where he was put to strange shifts, and 
derived all the help he could from a 
pretty apparent want of conscience. 
According to old Aubrey, when at Paris, 
u He laid an ingenious design to carry 
a considerable number of artificers, 
chiefly weavers, from thence to Virginia, 
and by Mary, the Queen-Mother's 
means, he got favour from the King of 
France to go into the prisons and pick 
and choose ; so when the poor wretches 
understood what his design was, they 
cried uno ore (with one voice) * To us 
Tisserans" — We are all weavers ! Well, 
he took thirty-six, as I remember, and 
not more, and shipped them ; and as he 
was on his voyage to Virginia, he and 
his weavers were all taken by the ships 
then belonging to the Parliament of 
England. The French slaves I suppose 
they sold, but Sir William was brought 
prisoner to England : whether he was 
first a prisoner at Carisbrook Castle in 
the Isle of Wight, or at the Tower of 
London, I have forgotten. He was a 
prisoner at both. His ' GondibertV 
4to., was finished at Carisbrook Castle. 
He expected no mercy from the Parlia- 
ment, and had no hope of escaping with 



* A long poem with some fine passages, but 
tedious as a whole. 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 



179 



his life. He was saved, however, by 
the intervention, according to one ac- 
count, of two aldermen in his favour, 
according to another by the wit of 
Henry Martin. 5 ' 

The fine old hunting forest, called 
Parkhursi, or Alvington, or the King's 
Forest, which extended over nearly 4000 
acres of land, coming close up to New- 
port and Carisbrook, must have greatly 
added to the variety and beauty of the 
scenery. It was so closely wooded, that 
according to tradition a squirrel could 
have leaped through it from end to end, 
and from side to side, without ever being 
obliged to touch the ground. It was 
first emparked during the reign of Wil- 
liam the Conqueror, and was after- 
wards much frequented by our Norman 
princes, who sallying from the castle 
with their fierce but picturesque reti- 
nues, made the greenwood ring with 
hound and horn. Like the new Forest, 
Windsor, and the rest of the royal chases, 
it had its warden, its ranger, and under- 
rangers. It is now so thoroughly cleared 
and cut down, that scarcely anything 
remains but brushwood. It formerly 
bordered on another forest called North- 
wood, which covered the left bank of the 
Medina, and stretched almost to the spot 
where the town of West Cowes now 
stands. The old names are still retained, 
though nothing can well be less like 
forests than the two places. The walks 
through Parkhurst are, however, ex- 
tremely pleasant. There is one deli- 
cious spot called Park Cross, which 
combines some of the finest features of 
a gentle rural landscape. There are 



smiling valleys sprinkled with cottages, 
pools, and running waters in abund- 
ance ; and high above all there is a 
noble range of downs. The downs here, 
as in most other parts of the island, ex- 
hibit a vast number of those circular 
marks on the grass which philosophers 
have not yet satisfactorily accounted for, 
and which peasants call Fairy-rings, 

When 

At fail of eve, the Fairy people throug j 
In various game and revelry to pass 
The summer night, as village stories tell. 

SECOND EXCURSION. 

Having briefly described the imme- 
diate neighbourhood of Carisbrook and 
Newport, we may now point out a few 
longer excursions, each of which will 
give good employment for a whole day 
or more. For convenience of arrange" 
ment we will make Newport our centre 
and general point of departure and re- 
turn. 

Proceeding by Carisbrook the tourist 
will find himself, after a short ride or 
walk, at Gatcombe, a handsome modern 
house, formerly the seat of one of the 
Worsleys, which lies in a snug, shel- 
tered bottom, and with an adjacent 
church, beautiful groves, a little lake, 
and a purling stream, makes up an 
agreeable picture. 

About three miles farther on, to the 
south-east, is the village of Godshill, 
similarly situated, and equally pleasing. 
The church, which was one of the six in 
the island given by Fitz-Osborne to the 
Abbey of Lyra, in Normandy, stands on 
an eminence, insulated by a rich wooded 
N 2 



180 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



dell, and shows its tower-steeple afar off. 
It contains the tombs of the Worsleys 
(whose seat we are now approaching), 
from the fifteenth to the nineteenth cen- 
tury, as well as the monuments of some 
of the Leighs of Derbyshire and the 
Wight, whose daughters, by intermar- 
rying with them, made the Worsleys the 
lords of these fair domains. 

A wild but not uncommon tradition 
is told to account for the elevated situ- 
ation of Godshill church. The founda- 
tion was laid at the foot of the steep hill, 
and the men began to build there, but 
the next morning, on returning to their 
labours, they found that all the stones 
and other materials had been removed 
during the night and placed at the top 
of the hill. They recommenced their . 
work below, but the next day all was 
gone, and this continued until they took 
the hint, and built upon the spot indi- 
cated to them by invisible hands, and by 
so doing added much to the beauty of 
the scene. Its elevated situation, how- 
ever, has more than once exposed the 
church to danger. In 1778 it was 
struck by lightning, which so injured 
the old building that a part of it fell in 
the following year. 

In the quiet little village beneath the 
church there is a grammar school, whicli 
was founded and endowed above 200 
years ago by one of the Worsleys. The 
name of this family occurs so often, and, 
in general, is connected with such 
agreeable and praiseworthy objects, that 
it is almost painful to reflect it should 
now be extinct in the island. 

Appuldercombe, which has long 



been the seat of the ancient and ho- 
nourable family of Worsley, is beauti- 
fully situated about a mile to the south 
of Godshill. The park, adorned with fine 
beech trees and venerable oaks, rises in 
noble slopes behind the house, and ter- 
minates in some lofty downs which com- 
mand extensive prospects. On the most 
elevated point there is an obelisk of Cor- 
nish granite, 70 feet high, erected in 
1774 to the memory of Sir Robert Wors- 
ley, the founder of the present house, by 
his grandson Sir Richard, the last Ba- 
ronet. About a mile distant, on the 
summit of a rocky hill, are the ruins of 
a castle, called Cooke's Castle. The 
mansion itself, which stands on the site 
of a very old manor-house, of which w r e 
have seen a drawing, is comparatively 
modern, having been begun in 1710 by 
Sir Robert Worsley, who left it in a very 
incomplete state, and finished by his 
grandson many years after. Here was 
written the history of the island to which 
we have frequently referred. The book, 
which bears the name of Sir Richard, 
was in fact the production of three suc- 
cessive generations of the Worsleys. It 
was begun by Sir Robert, who died in 
1747, continued by his son, Sir Thomas, 
and finished and published by his grand- 
son, Sir Richard, in 1781. We confess 
that, for ourselves, it is not without a 
pleasing interest we see the love of their 
native place, and the desire of illustrat- 
ing it, thus descend from father to son. 
But the house of Appuldercombe con- 
tains material and beautiful objects of 
art and antiquity to interest the tourist. 
There is a large collection of paintings, 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 



181 



drawings, statues, and bass-relievi. 
Some of the pictures, particularly the 
historical portraits, were in the old ma- 
nor-house for many generations, and 
were presented to the Worsleys by the 
princes and great personages they re- 
present. The sculptures and drawings 
were collected by Sir Richard, the last 
Baronet, who, in the course of the years 
1785-86 and 87, made an extensive tour 
through Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Tur- 
key, and took with him able artists, who 
made the drawings and views of the most 
interesting places under his own inspec- 
tion. Permission to see these treasures 
is readily obtained by applying to Mr. 
Thomas Sewell, at Newport. Sir Richard 
printed a catalogue raisonne of his col- 
lections, and afterwards a larger work 
called " Museum Worsleianum," which 
contains numerous engravings with 
descriptions. This gentleman died here, 
at his birth-place, about thirty-five years 
ago. He left no children, but was suc- 
ceeded by his sister, whose daughter, by 
her marriage, carried the mansion and 
estates of Appuldercombe to the Earl of 
Yarborough, the present proprietor. 

On leaving Appuldercombe, the 
tourist soon reaches the Under cliff and 
the village at Ventnor Cove. A 
little to the south-west of Ventnor 
Cove is Steephill, and about a mile 
and a half farther on the romantic vil- 
lage of St. Lawrence, with its old 
miniature church, which is considered 
to be the smallest building of the kind 
in these kingdoms. It is only twenty 
feet long and twelve wide, and is proba- 
bly of. Saxon origin. At this point, and 



still more from the heights behind St. 
Lawrence, all the beauties of the Under- 
cliff are seen to great advantage. Con- 
tinuing the route to the west, with the 
sea constantly in view, and passing 
through Mirables, we soon reach Sand 
Rock, where, among other pleasant 
things, there is an hotel which looks 
more like a gentleman's villa than a 
place of public entertainment, and 
affords some magnificent seaward views. 
A romantic path which leads through 
rocks and fallen cliffs — the huge debris 
of landslips, terminates at Sand Bock 
spring, about a mile from the hotel, 
which is about 150 feet above the level 
of the sea-shore. Over the spring, 
which gushes out in a singularly wild 
spot, there is a pretty cottage, erected 
by a surgeon of Newport, who discovered 
the source, or made its virtues known, 
in the year 1808. From the spring it is 
only a short walk to Black-Gang Chine. 
Chalybeate springs, reputed to have 
more or less medicinal virtue, occur in 
different parts of the island. According 
to an analysis made by Dr. Marcet, the 
Sand Rock spring contains an unusual 
proportion of alum and iron, held in so- 
lution by sulphuric acid. ^Dr. Lempriere, 
an army physician, who employed these 
waters extensively at the depot, an 
invalid hospital established at Parkhurst 
during the last war, reported that he 
found them eminently useful in chronic 
cases of debility. At Pitland, in the 
parish of Chale, at the distance of not 
more than half a mile from Sand Rock, 
there is a spring impregnated with 
sulphur, which is said to be useful in 



182 



JOURNEY-EOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



cutaneous disorders. As in many other 
cases, the virtue of these mineral waters 
may he somewhat exaggerated, but their 
romantic situation, the exercise to 
vhich they woo the invalid, the quiet 
of the country, and the mild and pure 
air breathed at them, can hardly fail to 
produce some beneficial effects. The 
water of the Pitland spring, while flow- 
ing, is pure and transparent ; but on 
stagnating it deposits a white sediment 
as thick as cream. Cattle drink it with- 
out any repugnance. Another mineral 
spring at Shanklin was discovered, or 
brought into notice by Dr. Fraser, a 
physician to Charles II., and was for 
some time much resorted to. 

Sand Rock Hotel, or the humbler, 
but not less comfortable little inn at 
Niton, a pretty village close at hand 
at the foot of St. Catherine's Down, the 
highest part of the island, may serve as 
a resting place and centre of observa- 
tion for days, as all the most beautiful 
and striking scenes of the island are 
within short distances. But we, in pur- 
suance of our plan, must return to 
Newport, in order to find room for the 
description of some other places in 
opposite directions. 

To vary the road, after again reaching 
Appuldercombe, the traveller may 
strike off by a beautiful road to the 
right, which, after passing through the 
village of Newchurch and some rich 
valleys, leads to Arreton Downs, whence 
the views of the interior of the island 
are extensive, and almost perfect in 
their kind. Corn-fields, meadows, and 
orchards, with a gentle little river wind- 



ing among them, and cattle seen here 
and there ; shelving heaths, spotted 
with white flocks : villages and village 
spires, hamlets, and mansions; bold 
hills and rocks; and, afar off, the blue 
waves of the ocean, are the main features 
of the scenery, to which are added many 
minuter and inexpressible graces. On 
the downs of Arreton the tourist will 
see two large sepulchral barrows, which, 
as well as several others on the island, 
are generally referred to the period of 
the Danish invasion, and supposed to 
mark the spots where some of the lead- 
ers of those fierce depredators were 
interred. 

The village of Arreton, at the west- 
ern end of the downs, is only three 
miles from Newport, and its scattered 
cottages line the side of the road for 
half of that distance. The neatness of 
these rural abodes, and the prosperous 
look of their inhabitants, who are nearly 
all cultivators of the soil, sufficiently 
show that this is the most fertile part 
of the Isle of Wight. 

THIRD EXCURSION. 

Another delightful excursion from 
Newport is in the direction of Fern Hill 
and Wootton Bridge, which both lie on 
the left bank of the Wooton river near 
to the point where it flows into Fish- 
bourne Creek. 

The village of Wootton Bridge is 
one of the prettiest in the island. About 
two miles from it, on the little promon- 
tory that lies between the Medina river 
and Fishbourne Creek, and on the shore 
of the Solent strait, there is a place 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 



1S3 



called 4 ' King's Key" where King John 
is said to have landed when he came to 
conceal himself from his barons in the 
Isle of Wight. The fact of this singular 
concealment is perfectly authentic. 
While on the field of Runnemede, and 
in the very act of signing the charter, 
John was devising the means of sub- 
verting all its provisions and making 
himself again the absolute, unchecked 
sovereign he had been. His envy and 
spite were increased by finding that 
after that imposing ceremony only 
seven gentlemen attended him, all the 
rest following the confederated barons. 
Withdrawing rapidly to Southampton, 
he privately dispatched letters by night 
to some of his trustiest castellans, enjoin- 
ing them to victual and strongly fortify 
their castles, and the next morning 
before daybreak he very secretly retired 
to the Isle of Wight, where he remained 
about three months, leading, according 
to the old chronicler Grafton, " a solitary 
life among ryvers and fishermen."* 
Holinshed says, "In which meantime 
many things were reported of him ; 
some calling him a fisher, some a mer- 
chant, and some a pirate and rover. And 
many (for that no certain news could 
be heard of him) judged that he was 
either drowned or dead by some other 
means. "f It was soon, however, made 
manifest that John was neither dead 
nor sleeping. Some of his acts, while 
lurking in the island and the neigh- 
bouring cinque ports, as nearly resem- 
bled piracy as could be ; but that time 

* Grafton's * Chronicle at Large,' &c. 
| Chronicle, vol. iii. p. 323. 



was chiefly employed in winning over 
the seamen of England, and in petition- 
ing and waiting for troops from abroad, 
with which to crush the barons. Seeking 
redress both by the spiritual and tem- 
poral sword, he sent messengers to the 
pope, and to princes on the continent. 
The first sent him bulls and a threat of 
excommunication to hurl at Magna 
Charta and his barons ; the others arms 
and soldiers ; " and from Flanders, 
Gascony, Brabant, and other parts, such 
competent aids came in, as encouraged 
the king (after three months' secrecy 
and retiring) to show himself in the 
face of his enemies."* 

In the fine season of the year a 
passage boat goes and returns between 
Wootton Bridge and Portsmouth every 
day. The creek and river admit shipping 
up to the village, and at high water they 
singularly add to the beauty of the spot, 
flowing full among wooded hills and 
green pastures. A very picturesque 
mill projects into the river, and several 
of the houses of the village little above 
high-water mark are reflected with the 
trees and orchards that stand about 
them in the tranquil stream. From 
Wootton Common there is a fine view 
inland, which is backed by the downs, 
and comprises many villas and pretty 
cottages. The common is now inclosed. 
The mansion at Fern Hill, which has a 
graceful Saracenic air, though much in- 
jured by the huge excrescence of a high 
heavy tower, was built by the late Luke 
of Bolton when he was governor of the 

* Speed, book 9, chap. 8. 



184 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



Wi^ht. Noble trees rise in the rear of 
the house, the evergreens and shrubs of 
the plantation are magnificent, and the 
grounds are all laid out in excellent 
taste. This, though there are some 
exceptions, is generally the case in the 
island, the stately country seats and 
villas of which are too many to be 
enumerated. Norris Castle, the seat 
of Lord G. Seymour, East Cowes Castle, 
the seat of the Earl of Shannon, St. 
Clares, Fair?/ Hill, and St. John's, will 
all command attention, and are all 
situated on this, the north-eastern side 
of the island, at short distances from 
each other, and from the pleasant 
village of Wootton Bridge. 

Crossing the river at Wootton Bridge, 
the tourist will find himself under a 
beautiful elevation called Kite Hill, 
which is crowned by another villa; and 
then keeping to the right, he will soon 
approach the Solent strait and the ruins 
of Old Quarr Abbey. Another and 
delightful way of making this short 
progress from Wootton Bridge, is to 
descend the river and Fishbourne 
Creek in a boat, and then land at the 
mouth of the creek, near to which the 
ruins are situated. In this way the 
banks of the stream, the opening 
sea, the ship-yard and village of Fish- 
house are seen to great advantage. At 
the turn of the tide, just as the full 
stream begins to return to the ocean, 
the little skiff may be allowed to float 
down with it, giving time to admire all 
it passes in its course. 

The walk across smooth lawns, and 
through shady copses to Q uarr Abbey, 



on a fine summer morning or evening, 
is delicious. This ancient abbey, like 
Carisbrook Priory, has been almost ob- 
literated by the hand of man, and the 
tourist will look in vain for the bold 
arch, the shafted oriel, the tall chancel, 
and all those things which look so pic- 
turesque in our better-preserved eccle- 
siastical ruins. The abbey derived its 
name from the stone-quarries in its 
neighbourhood, which were once held 
in very great repute. Here was dug a 
principal part of the stone of which 
Winchester Cathedral was built, as ap- 
pears by a grant made by William Rufus- 
to Walkelyn, Bishop of Winchester, 
and by the register of Winchester, 
wherein it is recorded that William of 
Wykeham, the great church architect 
of the middle ages, used it in all the 
body of this cathedral. Hence it should 
seem that the quarries of Portland, that 
furnish a harder and much better stone, 
were not then known. The Quarr stone 
is still quarried, and is in very common 
use. It varies in quality, some of it 
being hard and durable ; the inferior 
sort, which is soft, porous, and easily 
reduced to lime, is employed in the gar- 
den-walls, outhouses and cottages in 
the neighbourhood. 

A farm-house occupies what seems 
to have been the centre of the old abbey ; 
a wall, covered with ivy, is supposed to 
be part of the eastern end of the church ; 
and the refectory, the best-preserved 
part of the ruins, is now turned into a 
barn. Traces of a wall, which is said, 
when perfect, to have enclosed thirty 
acres of ground that formed the pre- 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 



185 



cinct of the abbey, may be found in low, 
broken, and detached masses: and here 
and there, within the space, there are 
some fragments of mean arches. This 
once-famous abbey, which was dedi- 
cated to St. Mary Magdalen, and te- 
nanted by Cistercian or White Friars, 
was founded in 1132, during the reign 
of Henry I., by Baldwin de Rivers, Earl 
of Devon, and Richard his son, who 
were both buried within its walls. In 
monkish Latin it was called Quarriera, 
and thence Quarrer, and at last Quarr. 
From Quarr Abbey a pleasant foot- 
path, through copses and an undulating 
wooded country, leads to the churchyard 
of Binstead ; and a little farther on is 
the town of Ryde. Striking inland, a 
pleasant road, or a succession of foot- 
paths (if the pedestrian seek them), 
will convey the tourist to Brading, 
another picturesque village, which we 
partly described in making the voyage 
round the coasts of the island. Brading 
Church, which is supposed to occupy 
the site of the first Christian place of 
worship that was erected in the island 
(in 704), is a very old and, for this island, 
a very large church, having a body, 
chancel, and side aisles, with massy, 
round pillars, and curious pointed arches. 
It contains some antique tombs, and 
the family chapel and burying-place of 
the Oglanders, the oldest existing fa- 
mily in the island, whose founder, 
Richard Okelandro, came over with 
William the Conqueror, and whose 
large, old family mansion, called Nun- 
well, stands close to the village. The 
worthy, knight Sir John, of whose 



quaint history of the Isle of Wight 
(the manuscript of which was consulted 
and used by the W^orsleys), we have 
already made honourable mention, lies 
entombed here among a long line of 
predecessors and successors. In Brad- 
ing Church there is the celebrated 
epitaph which has become familiar to 
every lover of music, by being selected 
by Dr. Calcott for one of his most cele- 
brated compositions. The words are 
beautiful, and we therefore quote them : 

u Forgive, blest shade ! the tributary tear 
That mourns thy exit from a world like 
this ; 
Forgive the wish that would have kept 
thee here, 
And stay'd thy progress to the seats of 
bliss ! 

No more confined to grov'lling scenes of 
night, 
No more a tenant pent in mortal clay, 
Now should we rather hail thy glorious 
flight, 
And trace thy journey to the realms of 
day!" 

Crossing the eastern end of Brading 
Downs, and a pretty winding stream 
which traverses a good part of the 
island, and after turning several mills 
falls into Brading Haven, we come to 
the village of Yaverland, with its 
quaint manor-house, that was built in 
the time of Queen Elizabeth. Here, 
too, there is a curious church, much 
smaller, and apparently much older, 
than Brading Church. There is around- 
headed Norman-looking arch leading 
to the chancel, which fortunately has 
been left almost untouched, though the 



186 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 



hands of modern bricklayers and plas- 
terers are but too discernible in other 
parts of the church. Some fine elm- 
trees stand close by. The neat village 
of Yaverland is situated at the head of 
the little peninsula which is flanked on 
one side by the Culver Rocks, and ter- 
minates in Bembridge Point, near to 
which there is another hamlet that 
commands a fine view of Brading 
Haven. 

From Yaverland or Sandown Fort 
the tourist may make a pleasant return 
journey to Newport by passing Sand- 
ham heath, Alver stone, txndAshey Doivn. 
The view from the summit of the last- 
named down, where there is a triangular 
pyramid about twenty feet high, which 
serves to guide ships sailing into St. 
Helen's or Spithead, is one of the finest 
in the island, but does not differ ma- 
terially from that obtained from Arreton 
Down, which is a continuation of the 
same ridge. 

The walk from Newport to East 
Cowes, by the Whippingham road, is a 
very delightful one, presenting pictu- 
resque views of West Cowes, East Cowes 
Castle, Norris Castle, &c, with their 
richly-wooded grounds ; the scenery 
near the Medina, which flows on the 
left parallel to the road, is pleasing and 
agreeable ; and on approaching the 
coast the tourist has before him fine 
views of the Solent and the Hampshire 
coast. 

FOURTH EXCURSION. 

Another delightful trip, and the last 
we shall treat of, is to the north-west of 



the island, in the direction of Freshwater 
and the Needles. 

At about 4 miles from Newport, 
taking that road, is the beautiful spot 
called Park Cross, which we have al- 
ready described in speaking of the coun- 
try about Carisbrook. Another mile 
farther on is Sicainston, a fine country- 
seat which stands on the spot that was 
once occupied by an ancient palace of 
the bishops of Winchester. Hence we 
proceed to Calbourne, a small village 
with another of those curious antiquated 
little churches which add so much in- 
terest to the island, and with a fine 
mansion and park called Westover, on 
a gentle hill in its neighbourhood. From 
this point there is a succession of shelv- 
ing downs, quiet valleys, and scattered 
woodland, till we reach the river Yar, 
on the opposite bank of which stands 
the village of Freshwatkr, the birth- 
place (in the year 1635) of Dr. Robert 
Hooke, a leading member of the re- 
cently-instituted Royal Society, a na- 
tural philosopher and machinist of no 
mean fame, of whom the islanders, who 
always class him among their worthies, 
are not a little proud. Hooke, who 
enjoyed the lucrative post of city-sur- 
veyor of London after the Great Fire in 
1666, did many wiser and more useful 
things, but wanting to ily in the air like 
a bird, he, at an enormous expense of 
time and labour, invented above thirty 
machines and methods for living, and 
found himself obliged to walk upon the 
earth after all. " But what of this 
whimsical niche," says a native his- 
torian, " for, not to mention that a grave 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 



187 



and learned bishop was much occupied 
in the same fancy, these foibles in men 
of real genius are but like spots in the 
sun, visible indeed, but not able, on the 
whole, to obscure its glory."* 

The village of Freshwater is not other- 
wise remarkable ; but going from that 
point the tourist can examine the Yar 
river, and the singular peninsula which 
it almost entirely cuts off from the rest of 
the island. The Needles, at the western 
extremity of this peninsula, and the 
stupendous cliffs and rocks of Alum, 
Totland, and Scratchell bays, are not 
seen to such advantage as from the sea 
beneath ; but, as at other places where 
we have approached the coasts in these 
excursions from the interior, it is inter- 
esting to observe the different aspects 
under which these rocks present them- 
selves when seen from above, and the 

* John Starch, 4 View of the Isle of Wight,' &c. 



seaward views from the summits of the 
cliffs are in general of great extent and 
beauty. At Freshvjater-gaie there is 
an easy descent to the seashore at the 
back of the island, not far from Wat- 
combe Z?az/ and Compion Chine. There 
is also a neat and comfortable inn 
among a small group of cottages. 

A pleasant way of returning to New- 
port is by Thorley, a village in a 
wooded vale, with a small church of 
great antiquity, and no steeple, — Shal- 
fleet, another village, with a Norman 
church, — and Parkhurst, or the King's 
Forest, which we have already described. 

The routes we have traced will give a 
very good notion of this beautiful little 
island ; but from each of them there are 
many roads and bye-paths branching 
off, and leading almost invariably to 
some graceful, quiet, or picturesque 
nook, 



TABLE OF DISTANCES OF TOWNS FROM EACH OTHER IN THE 
COUNTY OF HANTS. 

%* The distances from London are marked on the Map. 

Alresford. 

Alton... 10 Alton. 

Andovcr 18 27 Andover. * 

Basingstoke 12 12 18 Basingstoke. 

Bishop's Waltham 12 18 24 25 Bishop's Waltham. 

Christchurch 42 52 41 53 37 Christchurch. 

Cowes 30 40 38 42 22 39 Cowes. 

Fareham 20 25 32 33 8 43 17 Fareham. 

Fordingbridge ... 32 42 26 40 25 15 27 27 Fordingbridge. 

Gosport... 23 30 37 36 14 49 12 5 32 Gosport. 

Havant 12 25 37 36 13 51 21 8 35 10 Havant. 

Lymington 36 46 35 44 26 12 17 30 21 35 38 Lymington. 

Odiham 17 8 24 8 27 61 51 35 49 38 34 54 Odiham. 

Petersfield 8 12 26 24 15 48 30 16 39 20 12 40 22 Petersfield. 

Portsmouth 28 30 41 45 17 46 12 9 34 2 9 37 39 18 Portsmouth. 

Ringsvood 36 46 33 45 29 9 32 32 6 37 40 15 54 44 41 Ringwood. 

Romsey 18 28 17 29 19 24 20 20 14 25 30 18 35 34 28 18 Romsey. 

Southampton 18 29 25 30 10 24 12 12 15 17 20 18 36 24 22 20 7 ^Southampton. 

Stockbridge 15 25 7 22 19 34 28 27 24 32 33 28 30 27 34 28 10 16 Stockbridge. 

Whitchurch 15 17 7 11 23 47 37 31 33 35 36 39 17 23_40 41 23 40 7 Whitchurch. 

Winchester 7 17 14 18 10 35 24 18 25 23 23 29 24 18 25 28 11 12 9 12 Winchester. 



Stations on the London and South-Western Railway, and Fares by each 

Class of Carriages. 



Distance. 



Miles. 
3 

6 

10 

13 

15£ 

17* 

23 

31* 

38 

46 

56 

I I 



STATIONS. 



London to Wandsworth 

Wimbledon 

Kingston 

Esher and 

Hampton Court 

Walton 

Weybridge 

Woking 

Farnborough 

Winchfield 

Basingstoke 

Andover Road 

Winchester 

Southampton 



FAST TRAIN. 



1st Class. 



MIXKD TRAIN. 



1st Class. 



S. d. 

1 

1 6 

2 

2 6 



2nd Class. 



s. d. 

6 

1 
1 6 

1 6 



2 
2 
3 
5 
6 

9 
10 
12 



GOODS TRAIN'. 



3rd Class. 



s. d. 



%* By the Fast Trains the Journey from London to Southampton is performed i:i 3 hours ; 
by the Mixed Tr line in '31 hours ; and by the G >odi Trains in G lions. 



INDEX. 



Alice Holt., 26 

Alresford, 32 

Alton, Vale of, 29; Alton, xb. 

Alum Bay, 150 

Amport House, 70 

Andover, 68; Andover to Newbury, 70; to 

Winchester, ib. ; to Amesbury, 71 ; to 

Salisbury, ib. 
Appuldercombe, ISO 
Arretown Downs, 182 
Avington Park, 33 

Basingstoke, 55 ; Holy Ghost Chapel at, 
56; Basingstoke into Berkshire, 62: to 
■Winchester, 6-1 ; to Whitchurch and An- 
dover, 66 

Basing, Old, 58 

Basing House, Siege of, 58 

Beacon Hill, 30 ; Beacon Hill, High- 
clere, 68 

Beaulieu Abbey, 142 
Bere Forest, 27 
Bishop's Waltham, 31 
Black Gang Chine, 159,M81 
Boldre, 137 
Botley, 94 
Bramdean, 103 
Bramshill, 50 
Broadlands, 101 
Brockenhurst, 136 
Brookwood. Park, 103 
Burghclere, 67 



Bursledon, 114 
Butser Hill, 28 

Cadnam Park, 141 

Calshot Castle, 143 

Cams Hall, 30 

Carisbrook Castle, 172 

Chale Bay, 159 

Christchurch, 139 ; from Christchurch to 

Ringwood, 141 
Compton Bay, 156 
Cowes, 149 
Cuffnells, 136 
Culver Cliff, 165 

Danebury Hill, 71 
Dogmersfield Park, 50 

Elvetham House. 47 
Ems worth, 96 
Exbury, 142 

Fareham, 30, 94 

Fishbourne Creek, 167 

Fordingbridge, 141 

Forest, the New, 117; Historical Notice 
of, tb. ; Death of Rufus, 118; Tyrrell's 
Oak, 121 ; Boundaries of the New Forest, 
ib. ; Surface, Natural Appearances, Geo- 
logical Features, &c, 123; Animals, &c. 
of the New Forest, 130; the Pannage 
Season, 131 ; Forestal Regulations, 133 i 



190 



INDEX. 



Supply of Timber, ib. ; Inhabitants of 
the Forest, 134 ; Forest Roads, 135 ; 
Southampton to Lyndhurst, ib. ; Lynd- 
hurst to Lymington, 136; Lymington 
to Christchurch, 139; Christchurch to 
Ringwood, 140 ; Ringwood to South- 
ampton, 141 ; Ringwood to Fording- 
bridge, ib. ; Southampton to Beaulieu 
Abbey and Calshot Castle, 143 

Froyle Place, 29 

Gatcombe, 179 
Godshill, 179 
Gosport. 45 
Grange Park, 05 

Hack wood Park, 63 

Hambledon, 30 

Hampshire, Situation, Boundaries, and Ex- 
tent, 1 ; Coast-line, 2 ; Surface, ib. ; 
Drainage, and Rivers, 3 ; Geological 
Features, 4; Canals, 5; Roads, 6; 
Fairs, .ib. ; Climate and Soil, 7 ; Im- 
provements, 9 ; Cattle, ib. ; Mode of 
curing bacon in Hampshire, 10 ; History 
and Antiquities of the County, 11; Po- 
pulation and Occupatious ; Legal and 
Ecclesiastical Divisions, 15 ; Local Tax- 
ation and Expenditure, 17; Crime, 18; 
Savings' Banks, 18; Education, 18 

Havant, 95 

High Clere House, 67 
Hordle, 139 
Hursley Lodge, 96 
Hurst Castle, 137 
Hurstbourne Park, 70 

Itchin, 115; Vale of, 32 

Kingsclere, 32 

Luccombe Chine, 163 



Lymington, 136; from Lymington to 
Christchurch, 139 

Lyndhurst, 135 ; from Lyndhurst to Lym- 
ington, ib. 

Magdalen Hill, 33 

Meon, East and West, 29 ; 104 

Milford, 137 

Millbrook, 135 

Minstead, 141 

Needle Rocks, 152 
Netley Abbey, 112 
Newchurch, 182 
Newport, 169 

Odiham, 49 ; Odiham to Alton, ib. ; to 
Farnham, 50 ; to Reading, ib. 

Park Cross, 179 
Parkhurst, 179 
Petersfield, 26 
Porchester Castle, 95 j 
Portsea, 38 

Portsmouth, 35; the Harbour, 37; Dock- 
yard, 41 
Priory of St. Dionysius, 115 

Quarley Mount, 72 
Quarr Abbey, 184 

Railway, South Western, 20; Farnborouj^h 
Station, 24; 35; Winchfield Station, 47 ; 

N Basingstoke Station, 55 ; Andover Road 
Station, 64 ; Winchester Station, 73 ; 
Southampton Station, 105 ; 117 

Ringwood, 141 ; from Ringwood to South- 
ampton, ib. ; ditto by Fordingbridge, 44 

Roads — from London into Hampshire, 22 ; 
London to Portsmouth, 24; to Gosport, 



INDEX. 



191 



28: to Southampton, 31 ; to Winchester, 
32 ; from Odiham to Alton, 49 ; to Farn- 
ham, 50 ; to Reading, ib. ; from Basing- 
stoke into Berkshire, 62 ; to Winchester, 
64; to Whitchurch and Andover, 66; 
from Whitchurch to Newbury, 67 : from 
Andover to Newbury, 70 ; to Winchester, 
ib.; to Amesbury, Wilts, 71; to Salis- 
bury, ib. ; Winchester to Gosport and 
Portsmouth, 94 ; to Havant, Emsworth, 
and Chichester, 95 ; to Southampton, 
96; to Poole, 98; to Salisbury, 102; 
to Petersfield, 103; from Southampton 
to Gosport, 112; to Chichester, 114; to 
Salisbury, 1 15 ; to Lymington and Christ- 
church, 115; to Lyndhurst and Lym- 
ington, 135; from Lymington to Christ- 
church, 139 ; from Christchurch to Ring- 
wood, 141 ; from Ringwood to South- 
ampton, ib. ; ditto by Fordingbridge, ib. ; 
from Southampton to Beaulieu Abbey 
andCalshot Castle, 142 
Romsey, 98 ; Abbey Church at, 98 



Sandown Bay, 165 

Sand Rock, 181 

Scratchell's Bay, 156 

Shanklin Chine, 163 

Selborne, 24 

Sidon Hill, 68 

Slichester, 53 

Southampton, History and Present State 
of, 107 ; Excursions in the Vicinity of, 
115; Southampton to Gosport, 112; to 
Christchurch, 114; to Salisbury, ; to 
Lymington and Christchurch, 116; to 
Lyndhurst and Lymington, 135 

Southwick Park, 27. 

Stockbridge, 103 

St. Cross, Hospital of, 88 

St. Catherine's Hill, 157 

St. Helen's, 166 

St. Lawrence, 181 



Strathfieldsay, 51 
Stratton Park. 64 

Tatchbury Mount, 101 
Titchfield, 94 

Undercliffe, Isle of Wight, 159, 181 
Upham, 94 

Ventnor Cove, 181 
Vine, The, 62 

Walhampton, 137 
Waltham Chace, 116 
Weyhill, 71 
Wherweil, 70 

Whitchurch, 60; Whitchurch to New- 
bury, 67 
Wickham, 30 

Wight, Isle of, 144 ; Extent of, ib, ; Na- 
tural and Political Divisions, Popula* 
tion, &c, 145 ; Historical Notice of, 146 ; 
Voyage round the Island, 148 ; Cowes, 
149 ; Yarmouth, ib. ; Alum Bay, 150 ; 
The Needles, 152; Scratchell's Bay, 153; 
Freshwater Bay, 156 ; Compton Bay, ib, 
Brixton Bay, 157; St. Catherine's Hill, 
ib ; Chaie Bay, 159 ; Black Gang Chine, 
ib. ; The Undercliffe, ib. ; Luccombe 
Chine, 163 ; Shanklin Chine, ib. ; San- 
down Bay, 165; Culver Cliff, ib. ; St. 
Helen's, 166; Ryde, ib. ; Quarr Copse, 
ib. ; Fishbourne Creek to Cowes, 167. — 
Tours in the Interior of the Island, ib. ; 
First Excursion, 168; Newport, 169; 
Carisbrook Castle, 172 ; Parkhurst, 179; 
Park Cross, ib. — Second Excursion, ib. ; 
Gatcombe, ib. ; Godshill, ib. ; Appulder- 
combe, 180; The Undercliffe, 181; Vent- 
nor Cave, ib. ; St. Lawrence, ib. ; Sand 
Rock, ib. ; Black Gang Chine, ib. ; Pit- 
land, ib. ; Niton, 182; Newchurch, ib. ; 
Arretown Downs, ib. — Third Excursion, 



192 



INDEX. 



ib. ; Wootton Bridge, ib. ; Fern Hill, 
183 ; Quarr Abbey, 184 ; Binsted, 185 ; 
Brading, ib. ; Yaverland, ib. ; Yaverland 
to Newport, 186. — Fourth Excursion, ib.) 
Newport to Freshwater and the Needles, 
ib. 

Winchester, History and Present State of, 
73 ; the Cathedral, 77 ; the College, 
82 ; City Cross, 86 ; from Winchester to 



Gosport and Portsmouth, 94 ; to Chi- 
chester, 95 ; Southampton, 96 ; to Poole, 
98; to Salisbury, 102; to Petersfield, 
103 

Wolmer Forest, 26 

Wootton Bridge, 182 

Yarmouth, 149 



London: Priuted by William Clowes and Sons, Stamford Street. 



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